Nanotube Radio

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Lauren Weinstein [lauren () vortex com]
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 12:50 AM
To: David Farber
Cc: lauren () vortex com
Subject: Nanotube Radio

view story with images and video at:
http://www.physics.berkeley.edu/research/zettl/projects/nanoradio/radio.html


Nanotube Radio: Supplementary materials

K. Jensen, J. Weldon, H. Garcia, and A. Zettl
Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley
Center of Integrated Nanomechanical Systems, University of California at
Berkeley
Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A.

The following media files are intended for public access. Please contact A.
Zettl or K. Jensen for permission before reproducing any of these images,
videos, or audio files or alterations of them. All rights reserved ©2007.

Introduction

We have constructed a fully functional, fully integrated radio receiver,
orders-of-magnitude smaller than any previous radio, from a single carbon
nanotube. The single nanotube serves, at once, as all major components of a
radio: antenna, tuner, amplifier, and demodulator. Moreover, the antenna and
tuner are implemented in a radically different manner than traditional
radios, receiving signals via high frequency mechanical vibrations of the
nanotube rather than through traditional electrical means. We have already
used the nanotube radio to receive and play music from FM radio
transmissions such as Layla by Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominos) and the
Beach Boy's Good Vibrations. The nanotube radio's extremely small size could
enable radical new applications such as radio controlled devices small
enough to exist in the human bloodstream, or simply smaller, cheaper, and
more efficient wireless devices such as cellular phones.

Videos

If you use any of the following videos, please include the credit "Courtesy
Zettl Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University
of California at Berkeley."

A high resolution transmission electron microscope allows us to observe the
nanotube radio in action. We have recorded four videos from the electron
microscope of the nanotube radio playing four different songs. At the
beginning of each video, the nanotube radio is tuned to a different
frequency than that of the transmitted radio signal. Thus, the nanotube does
not vibrate, and only static noise can be heard. As the radio is brought
into tune with the transmitted signal, the nanotube begins to vibrate, which
blurs its image in the video, and at the same time, the music becomes
audible. The four songs are Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys, Largo from
the opera Xerxes by Handel (this was the first song ever transmitted using
radio), Layla by Eric Clapton (Derek & the Dominos), and the Main Title from
Star Wars by John Williams.

Good Vibrations (Quicktime, 8.06 MB)
Layla (Quicktime, 6.13 MB)
Largo (Quicktime, 8.73 MB)
Star Wars (Quicktime, 8.68 MB)


This simulation shows the electric field surrounding the nanotube radio
during radio operation. Notice how the field is strongest at the tip of the
nanotube and how the field varies as the nanotube vibrates. This effect
allows the nanotube radio to demodulate radio signals.

Nanotube radio simulation movie (Quicktime 15.3 MB)

Still Images

If you use any of the following images, please include the credit "Courtesy
Zettl Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University
of California at Berkeley."


Over the past century, radio has shrunk dramatically from the wooden
"cathedral" style radios of the 1930s to the pocket-sized transistor radios
of the 1950s and more recently to the single-chip radios found in cell
phones and wireless sensors. Continuing this trend, we have further
miniaturized the radio by cleverly implementing multiple radio functions
with a single component, the carbon nanotube. This nanotube radio is over
nineteen orders-of-magnitude smaller than the Philco vacuum tube radio from
the 1930s!

Nanotube radio timeline and size comparison1,2 (TIFF 22.1 MB)
Nanotube radio timeline and size comparison (small)1,2 (JPEG 96.4 KB)


Images, taken by a transmission electron microscope, show a single carbon
nanotube protruding from an electrode. This nanotube is less than a micron
long and only ten nanometers wide, or 10000 times thinner than the width of
a single human hair. When a radio wave of a specific frequency impinges on
the nanotube it begins to vibrate vigorously. An electric field applied to
the nanotube forces electrons to be emitted from its tip. This electrical
current may be used to detect the mechanical vibrations of the nanotube, and
thus listen to the radio waves. (The waves shown in this image were added
for visual effect, and are not part of the original microscope image.)

Nanotube radio tower (TIFF 26.0 MB)
Nanotube radio tower (small) (JPEG 71.7 KB)
Nanotube radio tower without waves (TIFF 26.0 MB)
Nanotube radio tower without waves (small) (JPEG 541 KB)


This simulation shows the electric field surrounding the nanotube radio
during radio operation. Notice how the field is strongest at the tip of the
nanotube and how the field varies as the nanotube vibrates. This effect
allows the nanotube radio to demodulate radio signals.

Nanotube radio simulation (TIFF 1.45 MB)
Nanotube radio simulation (small) (JPEG 47.8 KB)
Nanotube radio simulation movie (Quicktime 15.3 MB)

Audio

If you use any of the following audio files, please include the credit
"Courtesy Zettl Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and
University of California at Berkeley."

Layla by Eric Clapton (Derek & the Dominos) was the first song played on the
nanotube radio. The entire received song may be downloaded below. Though
there is a significant amount of static noise, the song is easily
recognizable. All of this was accomplished with none of the external
circuitry to filter or process the signal typically found in macroscopic
radios.

Layla (entire song) (WAV 2.82 MB)

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation within the
Center of Integrated Nanomechanical Systems and by the US Department of
Energy.

References

[1] The Philco and Regency radios were photographed by Gregory Maxwell and
are subject to the GNU Free Documentation License as described here.

[2] The Smartdust image was published in B. A. Warneke, et al, Proc. IEEE
Sensors, vol. 2, 2002, pp. 1510.

Last modified: Fri Nov 09 12:22:16 Pacific Standard Time 2007




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