Observing polarization patterns in the collective motion of nanomechanical arrays

Juliane Doster, Tirth Shah, Thomas Fösel, Philipp Paulitschke, Florian Marquardt and Eva M. Weig ()
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Juliane Doster: University of Konstanz, Department of Physics
Tirth Shah: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Thomas Fösel: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Philipp Paulitschke: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Department of Physics
Florian Marquardt: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Eva M. Weig: University of Konstanz, Department of Physics

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract In recent years, nanomechanics has evolved into a mature field, and it has now reached a stage which enables the fabrication and study of ever more elaborate devices. This has led to the emergence of arrays of coupled nanomechanical resonators as a promising field of research serving as model systems to study collective dynamical phenomena such as synchronization or topological transport. From a general point of view, the arrays investigated so far can be effectively treated as scalar fields on a lattice. Moving to a scenario where the vector character of the fields becomes important would unlock a whole host of conceptually interesting additional phenomena, including the physics of polarization patterns in wave fields and their associated topology. Here we introduce a new platform, a two-dimensional array of coupled nanomechanical pillar resonators, whose orthogonal vibration directions encode a mechanical polarization degree of freedom. We demonstrate direct optical imaging of the collective dynamics, enabling us to analyze the emerging polarization patterns, follow their evolution with drive frequency, and identify topological polarization singularities.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30024-0

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