Collaborative Research: Noisy Nonlinear Microscale Oscillators for Novel Applications

该项目的目标是对微纳机电系统（M/NEMS）谐振器中噪声和非线性的相互作用有一个基本的了解，并利用这些知识开发传感和信号处理领域的新应用。 基础工作将面向生成可用于器件开发的预测分析和计算工具，这些结果将用于设计具有前所未有的选择性和灵敏度的M/NEMS器件。 所采用的方法包括非线性动力学系统，涨落理论和M/NEMS的实验方法。 M/NEMS中的波动由热和/或量子噪声引起，或者可以有意地从外部源注入。 即使是很小的噪声也会引起非线性系统响应的巨大变化，从而导致对外部信号或环境条件的高灵敏度。 通过仔细调整系统参数和输入（周期性和/或噪声），并了解参数变化如何影响切换，可以获得系统响应的戏剧性，可预测和可测量的变化。 对于传感器应用，这些变化与环境源有关，而对于信号处理，这些变化与外部信号的调制有关。 该建议开发了系统的方法来预测这些数量的非线性M/NEMS谐振器，基于噪声激活开关的理论。 分析的结果将指导实验工作，这将在质量和磁场检测的新方案中实施所提出的技术，并放大目标信号量。所提出的研究的更广泛影响包括物理学和工程学之间的跨学科合作和学生培训，以及现有计算，分析，和实验技术，以开发新的概念和方法的传感和信号处理。 这项工作的基本方面也有潜在的适用性，在其他领域中，有内在的非线性和波动之间的相互作用，如流行病学和定量生物学的其他领域。 此外，PI将积极参与面向高中生的外展计划，包括密歇根州立大学的高中工程学院和佛罗里达大学的学生科学培训计划。 微型和纳米技术的一般主题，以及在拟议的工作中开发的应用程序，将被用来帮助促进科学和工程高中学生在这些计划。

The goals of the proposed project are to develop a fundamental understanding of the interplay of noise and nonlinearity in micro- and nano-scale electromechanical system (M/NEMS) resonators, and to exploit this knowledge for the development of novel applications in the areas of sensing and signal processing. The fundamental work will be geared towards the generation of predictive analytical and computational tools that can be employed in device development, and these results will be used to design M/NEMS devices with unprecedented selectivity and sensitivity. The methods to be employed include those from the fields of nonlinear dynamical systems, the theory of fluctuations, and experimental methods for M/NEMS. Fluctuations in M/NEMS arise from thermal and/or quantum noise, or can be intentionally injected from external sources. Even small noise can induce large changes in nonlinear system response, resulting in high sensitivity to external signals or environmental conditions. By careful tuning of the system parameters and inputs (periodic and/or noise), and with an understanding of how parameter changes affect switching, one can attain dramatic, predictable, and measurable changes in the system response. For sensor applications these changes are tied to environmental sources, while for signal processing the changes are linked to the modulation of an external signal. This proposal develops systematic methods for predicting these quantities for nonlinear M/NEMS resonators, based on the theory of noise-activated switching. The results from the analysis will guide the experimental efforts, which will implement the proposed techniques in novel schemes for mass and magnetic field detection, and for amplification of targeted signal quantities.The broader impacts of the proposed research include the cross-disciplinary collaboration and training of students between physics and engineering, and the integration of existing computational, analytical, and experimental techniques to develop new concepts and approaches for sensing and signal processing. The fundamental aspects of the work also have potential applicability in other fields in which there is inherent interplay between nonlinearity and fluctuations, such as epidemiology and other areas of quantitative biology. In addition, the PIs will actively participate in outreach programs to high school students, including the High School Engineering Institute at Michigan State University and the Student Science Training Program at the University of Florida. The general topics of micro-and nano-technology, and the applications developed in the proposed work, will be used to help promote science and engineering to high school students in these programs.