Phonon-mediated dissipation in micro- and nano-mechanical systems

We study phonon-mediated dissipation mechanisms in small-scale mechanical systems in light of recent efforts to design high-Q micrometer- and nanometer-scale electro-mechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS). We consider dissipation mechanisms which redistribute the energy within a resonator, such as thermoelastic damping, the Akhiezer effect, and the Landau-Rumer effect, as well as the radiation of energy away from the resonator into its surroundings. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.