Nonlinear response and discrete breather excitation in driven micro-mechanical cantilever arrays

Abstract

We explain the origin of the generation of discrete breathers (DBs) in experiments on damped and driven micromechanical cantilever arrays (M.Sato et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 90}, 044102, 2003). Using the concept of the nonlinear response manifold (NLRM) we provide a systematic way to find the optimal parameter regime in damped and driven lattices where DBs exist. Our results show that DBs appear via a new instability of the NLRM different from the anticipated modulational instability (MI) known for conservative systems. We present several ways of exciting DBs, and compare also to experimental studies of exciting and destroying DBs in antiferromagnetic layered systems.