Datasets for an article by Vladimir U. Nazarov, Tchavdar N. Todorov, and E. K. U. Gross "Nanomotors driven by viscous AC currents"

Datasets for an article by Vladimir U. Nazarov, Tchavdar N. Todorov, and E. K. U. Gross "Nanomotors Driven by Viscous ac Currents", Physical Review Letters 136, 117002 (2026).Abstract:The recent discovery that electrons in nano-scale conductors can act like a highly viscous liquid has triggered a surge of activities investigating consequences of this surprising fact. Here we demonstrate that the electronic viscosity has an enormous influence on the operation of a prototypical AC-current-driven nano-motor. The design of this prototype consists of a diatomic molecule immersed in an otherwise homogeneous electron liquid which carries an AC current. The motion of the diatomic is determined by a subtle balance between the current-induced forces and electronic friction. By ab-initio time-dependent density-functional simulations we demonstrate that the diatomic performs a continuous rotation provided the amplitude and frequency of the imposed AC current lie within certain zones of stability. Outside these zones the nuclear motion is either irregular or comes to a stand-still. The proposed design of the nano-motor is, arguably, the conceptually simplest realization of the idea of a molecular waterwheel sandwiched between conducting leads.