Materials World Network: Quantum Electro-Mechanical Properties of Graphene

该材料世界网络奖支持一项实验计划，以研究石墨烯谐振器的机械品质因数Q是否可以足够大，以便在低温（例如50 mK）下观察到这些固有的低质量结构的热运动。我们的目标是证明Q为10，000或发现为什么不可能达到这个Q值。测量运动幅度的新技术必须得到实施。 必须发明获得高Q值的方法，如张力、减少缺陷和消除表面伪影，以实现观察热运动的目标。制造合成少层石墨的技术已经在康奈尔大学和NRL开发，并将允许与天然石墨烯进行比较。由该研究计划资助的材料世界团队汇集了纳米力学，石墨烯（和几层石墨）的合成生长，高频信号恢复和低温物理学方面的专业知识，后两个领域对于探索材料的潜在量子性质非常重要。理解非线性行为也将在该计划的成功中发挥作用，而通常被认为是不受欢迎的非线性实际上可能对未来的量子信息应用有益。该研究项目将与赫尔辛基大学和NRL的合作项目相结合。研究生将有机会通过在芬兰度过一个学期并在康奈尔大学主持同行与他们的同行合作。石墨烯是一种独特的材料-一种可以完全无缺陷的自支撑二维材料。它的机械性能是什么？特别是在低温下，非经典行为预计将变得最明显，石墨烯将显示经典或量子力学的机械行为？由该研究计划资助的材料世界团队汇集了纳米力学，石墨烯（和几层石墨）的合成生长，高频信号恢复和低温物理学方面的专业知识。量子力学通常与小物体（例如原子）和大物体（例如棒球）的经典行为相关联。在这两者之间的某个地方是一个无人区，康奈尔大学，赫尔辛基大学和美国海军研究实验室的团队试图回答由大约100亿到1000亿个原子组成的石墨烯片在本质上是量子还是经典。这种理解将有助于确定材料特性是否对新型机电设备有用，这对未来的通信和电子行业具有影响。这项研究提供了一个苛刻的实验环境，将教育和培养研究生在国家的科学和技术基础设施的成功职业生涯。

This Materials World Network award supports an experimental program to investigate whether the mechanical quality factor, Q, of graphene resonators can be made sufficiently large so that the thermal motion of these inherently low mass structures can be observed at low temperatures e.g. 50 mK. Our goal is to demonstrate a Q of 10,000 or discover why it is not possible to reach this Q value. New techniques for measuring the amplitude of motion will have to be implemented. Methods to obtain high Q such as tension, defect reduction and elimination of surface artifacts will have to be invented to achieve the goal of observing thermal motion. The technology to fabricate synthetic few-layer graphite has been developed at Cornell and the NRL, and will allow comparison to natural graphene. The Materials World team funded by this research program brings together expertise in nano-mechanics, synthetic growth of graphene (and few layer-graphite), high frequency signal recovery and low temperature physics, the latter two areas being important to probe the potential quantum nature of the material. Understanding non-linear behavior will also play a role in the success of the program, and non-linearities usually regarded as being undesirable, may actually be beneficial for future quantum information applications. The research program will be integrated with partner programs at Helsinki University and NRL. Graduate students will have the opportunity to work with their counterparts by spending a semester in Finland and by hosting counterparts at Cornell. Graphene is a unique material - a self supporting two-dimensional material that can be completely defect free. What are its mechanical properties? Particularly at low temperatures where the non-classical behavior is expected to become most apparent will graphene display mechanical behavior that is classical or quantum-mechanical? The Materials World team funded by this research program brings together expertise in nano-mechanics, synthetic growth of graphene (and few layer-graphite), high frequency signal recovery and low temperature physics. Quantum mechanics is usually associated with small objects (e.g. atoms) and classical behavior with large objects (e.g. baseballs). Somewhere between lies a no man's land, and the team at Cornell University, Helsinki University and the US Naval Research Laboratory seeks to answer whether a graphene sheet, consisting of approximately 10 to 100 billion atoms is quantum or classical in nature. This understanding will help to determine if the material properties will be useful for new types of electro-mechanical devices, which has implications for the future communications and electronics industries. This research provides a demanding experimental environment that will educate and train graduate students for successful careers in the Nation's scientific and technological infrastructure.