PT Journal
AU Shytov, AV
   Levitov, LS
   Beenakker, CWJ
TI Electromechanical noise in a diffusive conductor
SO Phys. Rev. Lett.
JI Phys. Rev. Lett.
PY 2002
VL 88
IS 22
DI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.228303
AB Electrons moving in a conductor can transfer momentum to the lattice via collisions with impurities and boundaries, giving rise to a fluctuating mechanical stress tensor. The root-mean-squared momentum transfer per scattering event in a disordered metal (of dimension L greater than the mean free path l and screening length xi) is found to be reduced below the Fermi momentum by a factor of order l/L for shear fluctuations and (xi/L)^2 for pressure fluctuations. The excitation of an elastic bending mode by the shear fluctuations is estimated to fall within current experimental sensitivity for a nanomechanical oscillator.
ER