Ultrasensitive nanomechanical mass sensor using hybrid opto-electromechanical systems

Abstract

Nanomechanical resonators provide an unparalleled mass sensitivity sufficient to detect single biomolecules, viruses and nanoparticles. In this work we propose a scheme for mass sensing based on the hybrid opto-electromechanical system, where a mechanical resonator is coupled to an optical cavity and a microwave cavity simultaneously. When the two cavities are driven by two pump fields with proper frequencies and powers, a weak probe field is used to scan across the optical cavity resonance frequency. The mass of a single baculovirus landing onto the surface of the mechanical resonator can be measured by tracking the resonance frequency shift in the probe transmission spectrum before and after the deposition. We also propose a nonlinear mass sensor based on the measurement of the four-wave mixing (FWM) spectrum, which can be used to weigh a single 20-nm-diameter gold nanoparticle with sub-femtogram resolution.