Related papers: An ultra-compact low temperature scanning probe mi…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been constantly supporting nanosciences and nanotechnologies for over 30 years, being present in many fields from condensed matter physics to biology. It enables measuring very weak forces at the nanoscale,…
We demonstrated a scalar atomic magnetometer using a micro-fabricated Cs vapor cell. The atomic spin precession is driven by an amplitude-modulated circularly-polarized pump laser resonant on D1 transition of Cs atoms and detected by an…
We demonstrate a scanning force microscope, based upon a quartz tuning fork, that operates below 100 mK and in magnetic fields up to 6 T. The microscope has a conducting tip for electrical probing of nanostructures of interest, and it…
This paper presents a low noise amplifier for large arrays of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) operated in cryogenic environments, especially liquid argon (87 K) and liquid nitrogen (77 K). The goal is for one amplifier to read out a total…
Helium-ion beams (HIB) focused to sub-nanometer scales have emerged as powerful tools for high-resolution imaging as well as nano-scale lithography, ion milling or deposition. Quantifying irradiation effects is essential for reliable device…
The AC magnetic susceptibility is a fundamental method in materials science, which allows to probe the dynamic magnetic response of magnetic materials and superconductors. The LAMPS laboratory at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati of the…
Scanning nanoscale superconducting quantum interference devices (nanoSQUIDs) are of growing interest for highly sensitive quantitative imaging of magnetic, spintronic, and transport properties of low-dimensional systems. Utilizing…
We report a photon shot-noise-limited (SNL) optical magnetometer based on amplitude modulated optical rotation using a room-temperature $^{85}$Rb vapor in a cell with anti-relaxation coating. The instrument achieves a room-temperature…
We report on the design, fabrication, and implementation of ultrasensitive micromechanical oscillators. Our ultrathin single-crystal silicon cantilevers with integrated magnetic structures are the first of their kind: They are fabricated…
Measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation are expected to significantly increase our understanding of the early universe. We present a design for a CMB polarimeter in which a cryogenically cooled…
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is traditionally based on very sharp tips, where the small size of the apex is critical for resolution. This paradigm is about to shift, since a novel generation of planar probes (color centers in diamond,…
The design and operation of a homemade low cost vibrating sample magnetometer is described here. The sensitivity of this instrument is better than 10-2 emu and found to be very efficient for the measurement of magnetization of most of the…
Scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) - a type of scanning probe microscopy that allows mapping thermal transport and temperatures in nanoscale devices, is becoming a key approach that may help to resolve heat dissipation problems in modern…
We describe a scanning device where a single spin is used as an ultrasensitive, nanoscale magnetic field sensor. As this "probe spin" we consider a single nitrogen-vacancy defect center in a diamond nanocrystal, attached to the tip of the…
We propose and demonstrate a radio-frequency atomic magnetometer with sub-Doppler laser cooled rubidium-87. With a simple and compact design, our system demonstrates a sensitivity of $330~pT/\sqrt{Hz}$ in an unshielded environment, thus…
Cooling down nanomechanical force probes is a generic strategy to enhance their sensitivities through the concomitant reduction of their thermal noise and mechanical damping rates. However, heat conduction mechanisms become less efficient…
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…
Signal to noise ratios (SNR) in magnetic resonance microscopy images are limited by acquisition times and the decreasing number of spins in smaller voxels. Significant SNR gains from cooling of the RF receiver are only realized when the…
Scanning Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscopy is a powerful tool for imaging local magnetic properties of materials and devices, but it requires a low-vibration cryogenic environment, traditionally achieved by…
The performance of a Si PIN diode (type Hamamatsu S3590-06) as an energy sen- sitive detector operating at cryogenic temperatures (~10 K) and in magnetic fields up to 11 T was investigated, using a 207Bi conversion electron source. It was…