Magnetomotive Instability and Generation of Mechanical Vibrations in Suspended Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes

Journal article, 2010

We investigate the electromechanics of a freely suspended semiconducting carbon nanotube subjected to a magnetic field H in the current-biased regime and show that self-excitation of mechanical nanotube vibrations can occur if H exceeds a critical value Hc of the order of 10–100 mT. The effect can be detected by measuring the magnetic field dependence of the time-averaged voltage drop across the nanotube, which has a singularity at H=Hc. We discuss the applications of the device as an active, tuneable radiofrequency oscillator.