English

mrfmsim: A modular, extendable, and readable simulation package for magnetic resonance force microscopy experiments

Computational Physics 2026-03-03 v2 Chemical Physics

Abstract

We present mrfmsim, an open-source Python package that facilitates the design, simulation, and analysis of magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) experiments. MRFM is a scanning-probe technique that detects magnetic resonance from nanoscale ensembles of nuclear or electron spins with a force sensor. Because MRFM experiments are complex and operate at sensitivity limits, numerical simulation is essential for designing experiments and estimating per-spin sensitivity and imaging resolution from measured signals. In this paper, we highlight the challenges of developing MRFM simulations and show that software designed to simulate specific experiments only in a rapidly evolving experimental field can yield erroneous results. The mrfmsim package addresses these challenges by supporting post-definition customization without rewriting the internal model and by employing a plugin system for extending functionality. We show that the package's modular, extendable, and readable architecture improves reproducibility and accelerates development.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2602.23337,
  title  = {mrfmsim: A modular, extendable, and readable simulation package for magnetic resonance force microscopy experiments},
  author = {Peter Sun and Corinne E. Isaac and Michael C. Boucher and Eric W. Moore and Zhen Wang and John A. Marohn},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.23337},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T10:54:23.171Z