Oded Gottlieb

Ph.D.: Ocean Eng, Appl Math - Oregon State University, 1992

M.Sc.: Civil Eng - Technion, 1987

B.Sc.: Civil Eng - Technion 1983

Main Nano field

Nonlinear nano-mechanics: thermo-visco-elastic damping in nano-resonators, stability and control of magnetic resonance force microscopes, non-stationary dynamics in nano-sensor arrays.

Research Interestes

Global bifurcations, complexity and spatio-temporal instabilities in nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS)

Nonlinear dynamics and control of scanning probes (SPM) used for non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM)

Quasi-continuum modeling, self-excited oscillations, synchronization and non-stationary dynamics in thermo-visco-elastic nano-sensor arrays.

 The focus on nonlinear nano-mechanics of the Gottlieb research group is on instabilities and sensitivity-to-initial-conditions that govern the spatio-temporal dynamics of nano-systems that operate in low-temperature and ultra-high vacuum. Nonlinear and chaotic dynamical systems are unpredictable even without random perturbations that are inherent in nature for all spatial and temporal scales. 

Recent examples of our nano-mechanics research include the control of fast scan atomic force microscopy, complex dynamics in nano-resonator arrays, and the onset of chaotic response in thermo-visco-elastic systems subject to laser irradiation. These examples incorporate coexisting stable and unstable solutions that are governed by homoclinic (jump-to-contact) bifurcations, synchronization loss, and self-modulated system response that cannot be explained by standard linear analysis. 

We employ quasi-continuum mechanics modeling which enables a consistent formulation of both nonlinear conservative and disipative forces that govern response in nano-opto-electro-mechanical systems. We make use of multiple-scale asymptotics and numerical bifurcation analysis to investigate nonlinear interactions in nano-mechanical systems, and employ chaos theory to determine the nature of instabilities governed by sensitivity-to-initial-conditions. This systematic modeling and theoretical analysis approach enables a direct model-based estimation of nonlinear thermo-visco-elastic material properties from controlled dynamics experiments. 

Current research is directed to resolving the finite amplitude dynamics response in magnetic resonance force microscopy, for consistent identification of fundamental nonlinear dissipation mechanisms in nano-wires, and for control of complex energy transfer between elements in large nano-mechanical sensor arrays.