Quantum NanoMechanics

Prof. Dr. Adrian Bachtold

Activities:

Mechanical resonators based on carbon nanotubes, graphene, and semiconductor monolayers are truly exceptional sensors of mass and force. We are taking advantage of these sensing capabilities to study physical phenomena in extreme regimes that have not been explored thus far, because conventional measurement methods lack sensitivity. We are addressing different directions with major scientific interests, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements on single nuclear spins, electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements on single molecules, the study of nano-superfluidity in helium-4 films adsorbed onto suspended nanotubes, and the study of the basic properties of semiconductor monolayers, such as MoS2 and WSe2. Our work is highly interdisciplinary with possible implications in quantum science, optomechanics, nanoscience, condensed matter, and low-temperature physics.

We are hiring:
• Positions at PhD- and Postdoctoral level available. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information.

Available Resources: Funding
• ERC Advanced Grant NaTuRe, 2017-2021
• Plan Nacional, Superconductivity and NEMS, 2019-2021
• ERC PoC, RTMRFM, 2019-2020
• Fundació CELLEX Barcelona

Research Topics:
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Measurements On Single Nuclear Spins
• Mechanical Resonators Based On Semiconductor Monolayers
• Superfluid Helium On Carbon Nanotube
• Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Measurements On Single Molecules
• Superconductivity In Twisted Bilayer Graphene

Collaborations:

Links:
• Group homepage
• Graphene @ ICFO

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Quantum NanoMechanics

Prof. Dr. Adrian Bachtold

Group Leader
• Prof. Dr. Adrian Bachtold

Postdoctoral Researchers
• Dr. Sergio Lucio de Bonis
• Dr. Gernot Gruber
• Dr. Christoffer Moller
• Dr. Parmeshwar Prasad
• Dr. Chandan Samanta
• Dr. Lorenzo Vistoli

PhD Students
• Slaven Tepsic
• Roger Tormo Queralt
• Carles Urgell Flores

Undergrad & Postgrad Students
• Alejandro Cañete
• Rajashree Haldankar

Former Group Members
• Alexander Eichler, Postdoctoral researcher
• Johannes Güttinger, Research fellow
• Daiki Hatanaka, Visiting scientist
• Simon Hurand, Postdoctoral researcher
• Bryce Kobrin, Research engineer
• Nicolas Morell, PhD student
• Joel Moser, Research fellow
• Adrien Noury, Postdoctoral researcher
• Jil Schwender, PhD student
• Urs Staufer, Visiting scientist
• Alexandre Tavernarakis, Postdoctoral researcher
• Ioannis Tsioutsios, PhD student
• Pierre Verlot, Visiting scientist
• Peter Weber, PhD student
• Wei Yang, Postdoctoral researcher
• **List includes previous ICFO group members only.
• For a complete list, please see bachtoldgroup.icfo.eu

Quantum NanoMechanics

Prof. Dr. Adrian Bachtold

Regular Papers
• Cooling and self-oscillation in a nanotube electromechanical resonator C. Urgell, W. Yang, S. L. De Bonis, C. Samanta, M. J. Esplandiu, Q. Dong, Y. Jin, A. Bachtold Nature Phys. 16, 32-37 (2020)
• Superconductors, orbital magnets and correlated states in magic-angle bilayer graphene X. Lu, P. Stepanov, W. Yang, M. Xie, M. A. Aamir, I. Das, C. Urgell, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, G. Zhang, A. Bachtold, A. H. MacDonald, D. K. Efetov Nature 574, 653-657 (2019)
• Mass sensing for the advanced fabrication of nanomechanical resonators G. Gruber, C. Urgell, A. Tavernarakis, A. Stavrinadis, S. Tepsic, C. Magén, S. Sangiao, J. M. de Teresa, P. Verlot, A. Bachtold Nano Lett. 19, 6987-6992 (2019)
• Electrical control of lifetime-limited quantum emitters using 2D materials K. G. Schädler, C. Ciancico, S. Pazzagli, P. Lombardi, A. Bachtold, C. Toninelli, A. Reserbat-Plantey, F. H. L. Koppens Nano Lett. 19, 3789-3795 (2019)
• Optomechanical measurement of thermal transport in two-dimensional MoSe₂ lattices N. Morell, S. Tepsic, A. Reserbat-Plantey, A. Cepellotti, M. Manca, I. Epstein, A. Isacsson, X. Marie, F. Mauri, A. Bachtold Nano Lett. 19, 3143-3150 (2019)
• Layering transition in superfluid helium adsorbed on a carbon nanotube mechanical resonator A. Noury, J. Vergara-Cruz, P. Morfin, B. Plaçais, M. C. Gordillo, J. Boronat, S. Balibar, A. Bachtold Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 165301 (2019)
• Electrostatically induced phononic crystal D. Hatanaka, A. Bachtold, H. Yamaguchi Phys. Rev. Applied 11, 024024 (2019)
• Landau velocity for collective quantum hall breakdown in bilayer graphene W. Yang, H. Graef, X. Lu, G. Zhang, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, A. Bachtold, E. Teo, E. Baudin, E. Bocquillon, G. Fève, J. Berroir, D. Carpentier, M. Goerbig, B. Plaçais Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 136804 (2018)
• Ultrasensitive displacement noise measurement of carbon nanotube mechanical resonators S. L. de Bonis, C. Urgell, W. Yang, C. Samanta, A. Noury, J. Vergara-Cruz, Q. Dong, Y. Jin, A. Bachtold Nano Lett. 18, 5324-5328 (2018)
• Improving the read-out of the resonance frequency of nanotube mechanical resonators J. Schwender, I. Tsioutsios, A. Tavernarakis, Q. Dong, Y. in, U. Staufer, A. Bachtold Appl. Phys. Lett. 113, 063104 (2018)
• Environmental electrometry with luminescent carbon nanotubes J. C. Noé, M. Nutz, J. Reschauer, N. Morell, I. Tsioutsios, A. Reserbat-Plantey, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, A. Bachtold, A. Högele Nano Lett. 0, (2017)
• Optomechanics with a hybrid carbon nanotube resonator A. Tavernarakis, A. Stavrinadis, A. Nowak, I. Tsioutsios, A. Bachtold, P. Verlot Nature Commun. 9, 662 (2018)
• High quality factor graphene-based two-dimensional heterostructure mechanical resonator M. Will, M. Hamer, M. Müller, A. Noury, P. Weber, A. Bachtold, R. V. Gorbachev, C. Stampfer, J. Güttinger Nano Lett. 17, 5950-5955 (2017)
• Energy-dependent path of dissipation in nanomechanical resonators J. Güttinger, A. Noury, P. Weber, A. M. Eriksson, C. Lagoin, J. Moser, C. Eichler, A. Wallraff, A. Isacsson, A. Bachtold Nature Nanotechnol. 12, 631-636 (2017)
• Real-time measurement of nanotube resonator fluctuations in an electron microscope I. Tsioutsios, A. Tavernarakis, J. Osmond, P. Verlot, A. Bachtold Nano Lett. 17, 1748-1755 (2017)
• High quality factor mechanical resonators based on WSe₂ monolayers N. Morell, A. Reserbat-Plantey, I. Tsioutsios, K. G. Schädler, F. Dubin, F. H. L. Koppens, A. Bachtold Nano Lett. 16, 5102-5108 (2016)
• Force sensitivity of multilayer graphene optomechanical devices P. Weber, J. Güttinger, A. Noury, J. Vergara-Cruz, A. Bachtold Nature Commun. 7, 12496 (2016)
• Electromechanical control of nitrogen-vacancy defect emission using graphene NEMS A. Reserbat-Plantey, K. G. Schädler, L. Gaudreau, G. Navickaite, J. Güttinger, D. Chang, C. Toninelli,
  A. Bachtold, F. H. L. Koppens Nature Commun. 7, 10218 (2016)
• Silicon-based chemical motors: An efficient pump for triggering and guiding fluid motion using visible light M. J. Esplandiu, A. Afshar Farniya, A. Bachtold ACS Nano 9, 11234-11240 (2015)
• Science and technology roadmap for graphene, related two-dimensional crystals, and hybrid systems A. C. Ferrari et al. Nanoscale 7, 4587-5062 (2015)
• Interplay of driving and frequency noise in the spectra of vibrational systems Y. Zhang, J. Moser, J. Güttinger, A. Bachtold, M. I. Dykman Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 255502 (2014)
• Nanotube mechanical resonators with quality factors of up to 5 million J. Moser, A. Eichler, J. Güttinger, M. I. Dykman, A. Bachtold Nature Nanotechnol. 9, 1007-1011 (2014) Highlighted in Nature Nanotechnol.
• Sequential tasks performed by catalytic pumps for colloidal crystallization A. A. Farniya, M. J. Esplandiu, A. Bachtold Langmuir 30, 11841-11845 (2014)
• Harnessing vacuum forces for quantum sensing of graphene motion C. A. Muschik, S. Moulieras, A. Bachtold, F. H. L. Koppens, M. Lewenstein, D. E. Chang Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 223601 (2014)
• Atomic monolayer deposition on the surface of nanotube mechanical resonators A. Tavernarakis, J. Chaste, A. Eichler, G. Ceballos, M. C. Gordillo, J. Boronat, A. Bachtold Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 196103 (2014)
• Coupling graphene mechanical resonators to superconducting microwave cavities P. Weber, J. Güttinger, I. Tsioutsios, D. E. Chang, A. Bachtold Nano Lett. 14, 2854–2860 (2014)
• Symmetry breaking in a mechanical resonator made from a carbon nanotube A. Eichler, J. Moser, M. I. Dykman, A. Bachtold Nature Commun. 4, 2843 (2013)
• Imaging the proton concentration and mapping the spatial distribution of the electric field of catalytic micropumps A. Afshar Farniya, M. J. Esplandiu, D. Reguera, A. Bachtold Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 168301 (2013)
• Controlled assembly of graphene sheets and nanotubes: Fabrication of suspended multi-element all-carbon vibrational structures I. Tsioutsios, J. Moser, J. A. Plaza, A. Bachtold J. Appl. Phys. 114, 104310 (2013)
• Ultrasensitive force detection with a nanotube mechanical resonator J. Moser, J. Güttinger, A. Eichler, M. J. Esplandiu, D. E. Liu, M. I. Dykman, A. Bachtold Nature Nanotechnol. 8, 493-496 (2013)

PhD Theses
• Optomechanical resonators based on transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers N. Morell
• Mass sensing with graphene and carbon nanotube mechanical resonators J. Schwender
• Graphene mechanical resonators coupled to superconducting microwave cavities P. Weber
• Mechanical resonators based on graphene and carbon nanotubes I. Tsioutsios

Quantum NanoMechanics

Prof. Dr. Adrian Bachtold

• 2020-07-17 Symposium on “Emergent phenomena in Moiré Materials”
  July 6-17, 2020. 15h–19h Symposium on “Emergent phenomena in Moiré Materials” July 6-17, 2020. 15h–19h
• 2020-02-06 Congratulations to New ICFO PhD graduate Dr. Sergio Lucio de Bonis graduated with a thesis entitled “Polaron Physics in Carbon Nanotube Electro-Mechanical Resonators”
• 2020-01-27 Graphene, Quantum, and the Brain: Put them together and what do you get? Deep Tech EU at MWC Barcelona The most ambitious EU research initiatives showcase innovations at Deep Tech EU in MWC Barcelona.
• 2019-10-30 A Plethora of States in Magic-Angle Graphene A team of ICFO researchers uses twisted bi-layer graphene to unveil a new zoo of previously unobserved states, from superconducting to insulating to a new range of magnetic and topological states. The study has been published in Nature.
• 2019-10-08 Cooling nanotube resonators with electrons In a study in Nature Physics, ICFO researchers report on a technique that uses electron transport to cool a nanomechanical resonator near the quantum regime.
• 2019-05-02 Controlling superfluid helium with carbon nanotubes A study led by ICFO researchers shows how superfluid helium grows onto a carbon nanotube as a series of first-order layering transitions.
• 2019-05-02 Proof of Concept Grant ERC Funding to develop MRI with single-atom resolution
• 2019-03-01 Graphene and Quantum Technologies team up at the Mobile World Congress 2019 The Graphene and Quantum Flagships exhibit technologies and present the initiatives at the world’s largest telecommunication event.
• 2018-12-17 Congratulations to New ICFO PhD graduate Dr. Nicolas Morell graduated with a thesis in “Optomechanical resonators based on transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers”.
• 2018-11-12 Congratulations to New ICFO PhD graduate Dr. Jil Schwender graduated with a thesis in “Mass Sensing with Graphene and Carbon Nanotube Mechanical Resonators”
• 2018-02-15 Ultra-sensitive Optomechanical Device at room temperature An ICFO study has developed an optomechanical device with the lowest thermal force noise levels ever, only attainable so far under cryogenic conditions.
• 2017-12-18 2016 ICFO PhD Thesis Awards 3 ICFO PhD graduates awarded for creative and ambitious research progress.
• 2017-10-04 American Physics Society Fellow Adrian Bachtold elected Fellow of APS
• 2017-05-15 Energy decay in Graphene Resonators
• 2016-12-03 Congratulations to New ICFO PhD graduate Dr. Peter Weber graduated with a thesis in ‘Graphene Mechanical Resonators Coupled to Superconducting Microwave Cavities’
• 2016-10-24 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics Professors Maciej Lewenstein and Adrian Bachtold offer a special colloquium to discuss the importance of the topic and its implications
• 2016-08-09 Force Sensing achieved with Graphene Opto-Mechanical Resonators ICFO study achieves unprecedented ultra-sensitive force measurements with multilayer graphene optomechanical devices.
• 2016-07-26 Congratulations to New ICFO PhD graduate Dr. Ioannis Tsioutsios graduated with a thesis in ‘Mechanical Resonators Based on Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes’.
• 2016-07-26 PhD Thesis Defense
  IOANNIS TSIOUTSIOS \'Mechanical Resonators Based on Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes\' IOANNIS TSIOUTSIOS
  Quantum NanoMechanics
  ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences
• 2016-04-14 ERC Advanced Grant Prof. Adrian Bachtold receives prestigious ERC Grant for senior research leaders
• 2016-03-11 ICFO Master School on Quantum Nano- and Opto-mechanics ”ICFO Schools on the Frontiers of Light” to take place in July 2016.
• 2016-01-15 Nano-photonics meets nano-mechanics Controlling on-chip nano-optics by graphene nano-opto-mechanics
• 2015-11-03 ICFO @ GRAPCHINA 2015 From October 28-30th, ICFO participated in the 2nd Edition of the International Graphene Innovation Conference
• 2014-10-27 Carbon nanotube resonators with ultra-high quality factor Strategy to improve the quality factor of mechanical resonators in Nature Nanotechnology
• 2014-10-08 ICFO and ICN2 study in Chemical & Engineering News Langmuir article on Catalytic microPumps is highlighted in Chemical & Engineering News
• 2014-10-06 Graphene’s 10-year Roadmap ICFO participates in the summary of the state-of-the-art of the research on graphene and its anticipated applications.
• 2013-11-25 Nanotubes and Symmetry Breaking Symmetry breaking in a mechanical resonator made from a carbon nanotube in Nature Communications.
• 2013-06-10 Carbon nanotubes detect forces as low as 10 zN in a bandwidth of 1Hz Research group led by Prof. Adrian Bachtold in Nature Nanotechnology.