title: Carbon nanotubes as ultrahigh quality factor mechanical resonators.
abstract: We have observed the transversal vibration mode of suspended carbon nanotubes at millikelvin temperatures by measuring the single-electron tunneling current. The suspended nanotubes are actuated contact-free by the radio frequency electric field of a nearby antenna; the mechanical resonance is detected in the time-averaged current through the nanotube. Sharp, gate-tunable resonances due to the bending mode of the nanotube are observed, combining resonance frequencies of up to nu(0) = 350 MHz with quality factors above Q = 10(5), much higher than previously reported results on suspended carbon nanotube resonators. The measured magnitude and temperature dependence of the Q factor shows a remarkable agreement with the intrinsic damping predicted for a suspended carbon nanotube. By adjusting the radio frequency power on the antenna, we find that the nanotube resonator can easily be driven into the nonlinear regime.
authors.affiliation: Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5046, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Andreas K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Hüttel
authors.forename: Gary A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Witkamp
authors.forename: Menno
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poot
authors.forename: Leo P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Kouwenhoven
authors.forename: Herre S J
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: van der Zant
mesh_terms: D004563:Electrochemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013696:Temperature; D014732:Vibration
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon