A single molecule can act as a nanometre-sized microphone.
Michel Orrit and his colleagues at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands placed molecules of dibenzoterrylene within a crystal a few degrees above absolute zero and attached a tuning fork to the crystal. Hitting the fork caused vibrations that stretched and compressed the crystal, which in turn shifted the frequency at which the molecules emitted light. The light-frequency readout allowed the team to detect the vibrations from an individual molecule.
The nano-microphone could be used as an ultra-sensitive detector for very slight vibrations, such as from tiny oscillators that measure the properties of quantum systems, the authors say.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Microphone made from a molecule. Nature 514, 8 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/514008b
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/514008b