title: Playing pinball with atoms.
abstract: We demonstrate the feasibility of controlling an atomic scale mechanical device by an external electrical signal. On a germanium substrate, a switching motion of pairs of atoms is induced by electrons that are directly injected into the atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope tip. By precisely controlling the tip current and distance we make two atom pairs behave like the flippers of an atomic-sized pinball machine. This atomic scale mechanical device exhibits six different configurations.
authors.affiliation: Physical Aspects of Nanoelectronics and Solid State Physics, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, NL-7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Amirmehdi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saedi
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Houselt
authors.forename: Raoul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Gastel
authors.forename: Bene
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poelsema
authors.forename: Harold J W
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zandvliet