Noise-supported actuator: Coherent resonance in the oscillations of a micrometer-sized object under a direct current-voltage

Noise supported regular motion in a micro-fluidic environment is studied. Recently, it was reported that an aqueous droplet in an oil phase exhibited rhythmic back-and-forth motion under stationary direct current voltage between the cone-shaped electrodes, where the oscillating water droplet moves on a limit cycle orbital. We now confirm that a combination of the limit cycle nature and white noise supports and enhances the regular motion of the object through coherent resonance. The present result will open a way to design an efficient machinery in microfluidic and micromechanical devices. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC.