Nonlinear Mode Coupling and One-to-One Internal Resonances in a Monolayer WS2 Nanoresonator

Nonlinear coupling of closely spaced modes in atomically thin MoS2 nanoelectromechanical resonators

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) incorporating atomic or molecular layer van der Waals materials can support multimode resonances and exotic nonlinear dynamics. Here we investigate nonlinear coupling of closely spaced modes in a bilayer (2L) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoelectromechanical resonator. We model the response from a drumhead resonator using equations of two resonant modes with a dispersive coupling term to describe the vibration induced frequency shifts that result from the induced change in tension. We employ method of averaging to solve the equations of coupled modes and extract an expression for the nonlinear coupling coefficient (λ) in closed form. Undriven thermomechanical noise spectral measurements are used to calibrate the vibration amplitude of mode 2 (a2) in the displacement domain. We drive mode 2 near its natural frequency and measure the shifted resonance frequency of mode 1 (f1s) resulting from the dispersive coupling. Our model yields λ = 0.027 ± 0.005 pm-2 · μs-2 from thermomechanical noise measurement of mode 1. Our model also captures an anomalous frequency shift of the undriven mode 1 due to nonlinear coupling to the driven mode 2 mediated by large dynamic tension. This study provides a direct means to quantifying λ by measuring the thermomechanical noise in NEMS and will be valuable for understanding nonlinear mode coupling in emerging resonant systems.

Probing Linear to Nonlinear Damping in 2D Semiconductor Nanoelectromechanical Resonators toward a Unified Quality Factor Model

In resonant nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), the quality (Q) factor is essential for sensing, communication, and computing applications. While a large vibrational amplitude is useful for increasing the signal-to-noise ratio, the damping in this regime is more complex because both linear and nonlinear damping are important, and an accurate model for Q has not been fully explored. Here, we demonstrate that by combining the time-domain ringdown and frequency-domain resonance measurements, we extract the accurate Q for two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 and MoTe2 NEMS resonators at different vibration amplitudes. In particular, in the transition region between linear and nonlinear damping, Q can be precisely extracted by fitting to the ringdown characteristics. By varying AC driving, we tune the Q by ΔQ/Q = 269% and extract the nonlinear damping coefficient. We develop the dissipation model that well captures the linear to nonlinear damping, providing important insights for accurately modeling and optimizing Q in 2D NEMS resonators.

Symmetry-Breaking-Induced Frequency Combs in Graphene Resonators

Nonlinearities are inherent to the dynamics of two-dimensional materials. Phenomena-like intermodal coupling already arise at amplitudes of only a few nanometers, and a range of unexplored effects still awaits to be harnessed. Here, we demonstrate a route for generating mechanical frequency combs in graphene resonators undergoing symmetry-breaking forces. We use electrostatic force to break the membrane's out-of-plane symmetry and tune its resonance frequency toward a one-to-two internal resonance, thus achieving strong coupling between two of its mechanical modes. When increasing the drive level, we observe splitting of the fundamental resonance peak, followed by the emergence of a frequency comb regime. We attribute the observed physics to a nonsymmetric restoring potential and show that the frequency comb regime is mediated by Neimark bifurcation of the periodic solution. These results demonstrate that mechanical frequency combs and chaotic dynamics in 2D material resonators can emerge near internal resonances due to symmetry-breaking.

Multimode Nonlinear Coupling Induced by Internal Resonance in a Microcantilever Resonator

Coupled resonators represent a generic model for many physical systems. In this context, a microcantilever is a multimode resonator clamped at one end, and it finds extensive application in high-precision metrology and is expected to be of great potential use in emerging quantum technologies. Here, we explore the microcantilever as a flexible platform for realizing multimode nonlinear interactions. Multimode nonlinear coupling is achieved by (1:2) internal resonance (IR) and parametric excitation with efficient coherent energy transfer. Specifically, we demonstrate abundant tunable parametric behaviors via frequency and voltage sweeps; these behaviors include mode veering, degenerate four-wave mixing (D4WM) with satellite resonances, partial amplitude suppression, acoustic frequency comb (AFC) generation, mechanically induced transparency (MIT), and normal-mode splitting. The experiments depict a new scheme for manipulating multimode microresonators with IR and parametric excitation.

Chasing Plasmons in Flatland

Two-dimensional layered crystals, including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, represent an interesting avenue for studying light-matter interactions at the nanoscale in confined geometries. They offer several attractive properties, such as large exciton binding energies, strong excitonic resonances, and tunable bandgaps from the visible to the near-IR along with large spin-orbit coupling, direct band gap transitions, and valley-selective responses.