Shot-Noise-Limited Nanomechanical Detection and Radiation Pressure Backaction from an Electron Beam

S. Pairis (1) , F. Donatini (2) , M. Hocevar (3) , D. Tumanov (3) , N. Vaish (3, 4) , J. Claudon (5) , Jean-Philippe Poizat (3) , P. Verlot (6, 7)

1 NEEL - C2MA - Croissance Cristalline et MicroAnalyse
2 NEEL - POM - Optique & Microscopies
3 NEEL - NPSC - Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs
4 Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology
5 NPSC - Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs
6 LKB (Jussieu) - Laboratoire Kastler Brossel
7 UON - University of Nottingham, UK

Detecting nanomechanical motion has become an important challenge in science and technology. Recently, electromechanical coupling to focused electron beams has emerged as a promising method adapted to ultralow scale systems. However the fundamental measurement processes associated with such complex interaction remain to be explored. Here we report a highly sensitive detection of the Brownian motion of μm-long semiconductor nanowires (InAs). The measurement imprecision is found to be set by the shot noise of the secondary electrons generated along the electromechanical interaction. By carefully analyzing the nanoelectromechanical dynamics, we demonstrate the existence of a radial backaction process that we identify as originating from the momentum exchange between the electron beam and the nanomechanical device, which is also known as radiation pressure.

Domaines: Physique [physics]; Matière Condensée [cond-mat]; Autre [cond-mat.other]; Instrumentations et Détecteurs [physics.ins-det]

S. Pairis, F. Donatini, M. Hocevar, D. Tumanov, N. Vaish, et al.. Shot-Noise-Limited Nanomechanical Detection and Radiation Pressure Backaction from an Electron Beam. Physical Review Letters, 2019, 122 (8), pp.083603. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.083603⟩. ⟨hal-02054430⟩