Nanomechanics is barely mechanical quantummechanics
This is just a rule of thumb estimation
to go get a very crude initial estimate.
This page judges "quantummechanicalness" in the sense of
emerging quantizedness (stemming from the uncertainty relationship)
starting to show notable effects.
There's also the topic of sufficient isolation of systems towards the environment (and possibly towards each other)
such that these systems can entangle relative to the environment (and possibly relative to each other).
That is: To allow for multiple classically inconsistent realities to "quantum exist" at the same time.
The right quantitative measure for "quantummechanicalness" in this regard is likely
the maximally possible decoherence time in relation to the typical timescale of the system.
Related: quantum decoherence, mixed states, density matrix, ...
(wiki-TODO: Find a similarly simple rule of thumb estimation for say decorerence time of levitated crystolecules)
Contents
Math
Let us define "quantumness" as the ratio of
- the energy quantisation (the minimum allowed energy steps) to
- the average thermal energy in a single degree of freedom
The logarithm of the Boltzmann factor ("Quantumness"):
[math] Q = \frac{\Delta E_{Quantum}}{E_{Thermal}} [/math]
Thermal energy per degree of freedom (thermal "quantum")
First we'll need the thermal energy:
Equipartitioning:
[math] E_{Thermal} = \frac{1}{2}k_BT = \frac{1}{2 \beta} \quad[/math]
Energy per quantum (quantum mechanical quantum)
The size of the energy quanta [math]\Delta E_{Quantum}[/math]
- depends on the system under consideration.
- falls out from the spacial restraints (linear or circular) that enforcing a minimum impulse and thus a minimum energy
Reciprocative linear motion
To see quantum behaviour (in position space) the system must be spatially bounded. Thus reciprocative motion (here in a 1D box) considered.
The uncertainty relation: [math] \Delta x \Delta p \geq h \quad[/math]
Kinetic energy: [math] \Delta E_{Quantum} = \frac{\Delta p^2}{2m} \quad[/math]
Quantumness: [math] \color{red}{Q_{trans} = \frac{h^2}{k_B} \frac{1}{m \Delta x^2 T}} [/math]
Reciprocative circular motion
Here alpha is the fraction of a full circle that is passed through in a rotative oszillation.
For a normal unidirectional rotation alpha must be set to 2pi.
The uncertainty relation: [math] \Delta \alpha \Delta L \geq h \quad[/math]
Kinetic energy: [math] \Delta E_{Quantum} = \frac{\Delta L^2}{2I} \quad[/math]
Quantumness: [math] \color{red}{Q_{rot} = \frac{h^2}{k_B} \frac{1}{I \Delta \alpha^2 T}} [/math]
Values
With the Boltzmann constant: [math] k_B = 1.38 \cdot 10^{-23} J/K [/math] we get the
Average thermal energy per degree of freedom: [math] E_{T=300K} = 414 \cdot 10^{-23} J [/math]
rotative (full 360°)
[math] L_0 = \hbar = 1.054 \cdot 10^{-34} {kg m^2} / s [/math]
[math] L_0 = I \omega_0 = 2 m r^2 \omega [/math]
Nitrogen molecule N2: [math] \quad \color{blue}{2r = 0.11 nm \quad m_N = 2.3 \cdot 10^{-26} kg} [/math]
[math] \omega_0 = 2 \pi f = 7.5 \cdot 10^{11} s^{-1} [/math]
[math] f_0 = 119GHz [/math]
[math] E_0 = I \omega_0^2 /2 = L_0 \omega_0 /2 [/math]
Size of energy quanta: [math] E_0 = 3.95 \cdot 10^{-23} J [/math]
Quantumness: [math] \color{red}{Q_{rot} \lt 1/100} [/math]
is rather small thus we have pretty classical behaviour (at room-temperature).
Note that dinitrogen is a single free floating lightweight molecule.
In advanced nano-machinery there are axles made of thousands and thousands of atoms which
are in turn stiffly integrated in an axle system made out of millions of atoms.
This is making energy quantization imperceptibly low even at liquid helium temperatures.
That is why "Nanomechanics is barely mechanical quantummechanics".
Getting quantum mechanically behaving nanomechanics would take deliberate efforts:
- See: Quantum dispersed crystolecules and Trapped free particles
- Nanocantilever: Also free mechanical oscillations of stiff nanostructures that are hard to excite thermally (lowest mode one degree of freedom) can behave quite quantum mechanically ...
linear
...
general
Vibrations of individual molecules can behave quite quantummechanically even at room-temperature. This is the reason why the thermal capacity of gasses (needed energy per degree heated) can make crazy jumps even at relatively high temperatures. (Jumps with a factor significantly greater than one.)
Discussion
There are three parameters that can be changed to get something to behave more quantum mechanically.
The three options are:
- (1) lowering temperature
- (2) lowering inertia
- (3) decreasing the degree of freedom
Related
External links
Qunatummechanicalness in terms of quantizedness:
Wikipedia:
Quantummechanicalness in terms of decoherence time:
Wikipedia:
