牛津大学的研究人员和联合国iversity of Pennsylvania have found a power-free and ultra-fast way of frequency tuning using functional nanowires or nanostrings. Telecommunications technology relies on matching the frequencies of transmitters and receivers. In practice, this is achieved when both ends of the communication link tune into the same frequency channel.

In today’s colossal communications networks, the ability to reliably synthesise as many frequencies as possible and too rapidly switch from one to another is paramount for seamless connectivity.

牛津大学的研究人员和联合国iversity of Pennsylvania have fabricated vibrating nanostrings of a chalcogenide glass (germanium telluride) that resonate at predetermined frequencies, just like guitar strings. To tune the frequency of these resonators, the researchers switch the atomic structure of the material, which in turn changes the mechanical stiffness of the material itself.

This differs from existing approaches that apply mechanical stress on the nanostrings similar to tuning a guitar using the tuning pegs. This directly translates into higher power consumption because the pegs are not permanent and require a voltage to hold the tension.

Utku Emre Ali, at the University of Oxford who completed the research as part of his doctoral work said: ‘By changing how atoms bond with each other in these glasses, we are able to change the Young’s modulus within a few nanoseconds. Young’s modulus is a measure of stiffness, and it directly affects the frequency at which the nanostrings vibrate.’

Professor Ritesh Agarwal, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania who collaborated on the study first discovered a unique mechanism that changed the atomic structure of novel nanomaterials back in 2012.

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