Related papers: Multidimensional optomechanical cantilevers for hi…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is widely used to measure surface topography of solid, soft, and living matter at the nanoscale. Moreover, by mapping forces as a function of distance to the surface, AFM can provide a wealth of information…
Thermal fluctuation of the cantilever position sets a fundamental limit for the precision of any Scanning Force Microscope. In the present work we analyse how these fluctuations limit the determination of the resonance frequency of the…
We experimentally surpass the 3dB limit to steady state parametric squeezing of a mechanical oscillator. The localization of a AFM cantilever, achieved by optimal estimation, is enhanced by up to 6.2 dB in one position quadrature when a…
Sub-nm resolution images can be achieved by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) on samples that are deposited on hard substrates. However, it is still extremely challenging to image soft interfaces, such as biological membranes, due to the…
A method is presented for calibrating the higher eigenmodes (resonance modes) of atomic force microscopy cantilevers that can be performed prior to any tip-sample interaction. The method leverages recent efforts in accurately calibrating…
Opto-mechano-fluidic resonators (OMFRs) are a unique optofluidics platform that can measure the acoustic properties of fluids and bioanalytes in a fully-contained microfluidic system. By confining light in ultra-high-Q whispering gallery…
High-Q optical resonators allow label-free detection of individual nanoparticles through perturbation of optical signatures but have practical limitations due to reliance on random diffusion to deliver particles to the sensing region. We…
Optical beam deflection is a popular method to measure the deformation of micromechanical devices. As it measures mostly a local slope, its sensitivity depends on the location and size of the optical spot. We present a method to evaluate…
We demonstrate a centimeter-scale optomechanical magnetometer based on a crystalline whispering gallery mode resonator. The large size of the resonator allows high magnetic field sensitivity to be achieved in the hertz to kilohertz…
A sensitive photoacoustic detection approach employing a silicon cantilever is investigated for power measurement of electromagnetic radiation. The technique which is actuated by pressure waves generated through radiation-induced heat,…
Recent advances in mechanical-diode based ultrasonic force microscopy techniques are reviewed. The potential of Ultrasonic Force Microscopy (UFM) for the study of material elastic properties is explained in detail. Advantages of the…
A high sensitivity force sensor based on dielectric microspheres in vacuum, optically trapped by a single, upward-propagating laser beam, is described. Off-axis parabolic mirrors are used both to focus the 1064~nm trapping beam and to…
We determine the quantum mechanical limits to inertial mass-sensing based on nanomechanical systems. We first consider a harmonically oscillating cantilever whose vibration frequency is changed by mass accretion at its surface. We show that…
Atomically-resolved imaging and force measurements using the atomic force microscope (AFM) are performed most commonly in a frequency-modulation (FM) mode. This has led to spectacular results, including direct observation of the atomic…
The sensitivity of mechanical resonators to physical quantities such as acceleration, pressure, mass and temperature enables them to underpin sensing and metrology applications. Here, we observe that the resonance frequency of a…
Mechanical resonators based on low-dimensional materials are promising for force and mass sensing experiments. The force sensitivity in these ultra-light resonators is often limited by the imprecision in the measurement of the vibrations,…
In this work we introduce a new method of a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) detection from thin, nm-size, films. Our setup is based on the commercial piezo-cantilever, used for atomic force microscopy. It has an option to rotate the sample in…
Forces acting between an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) tip and sample are three dimensional. Despite this, most AFM force measurements are confined to one or two dimensions. Extending AFM force measurements into three dimensions has…
Thermal expansion, or dilation, is closely related to the specific heat, and provides useful information regarding material properties. The accurate measurement of dilation in confined spaces coupled with other limiting experimental…
Oscillators based on levitated particles are promising for the development of ultrasensitive force detectors. The theoretical performance of levitated nanomechanical sensors is usually characterized by the so-called thermal noise limit…