Related papers: Thermal noise calibration of functionalized cantil…
The force sensor is key to the performance of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Nowadays, most AFMs use micro-machined force sensors made from silicon, but piezoelectric quartz sensors are applied at an increasing rate, mainly in vacuum. These…
A spreadsheet algorithm is given for the atomic force microscope that accounts for non-linear behavior in the deflection of the cantilever and in the photo-diode response. In addition, the data analysis algorithm takes into account…
Isolated microscopic magnetic particles are used to induce local perturbations in dense colloidal suspensions by rotating an external magnet. Confocal microscopy enables tracking of both the magnetic probe particle and adjacent colloidal…
The critical Casimir effect provides a thermodynamic analogue of the well-known quantum mechanical Casimir effect. It acts between two surfaces immersed in a critical binary liquid mixture, and results from the confinement of concentration…
The local work function of a surface determines the spatial decay of the charge density at the Fermi level normal to the surface. Here, we present a method that enables simultaneous measurements of local work function and tip-sample forces.…
The thermal conductivity of nanoparticles colloidal suspensions, submitted to the action of an external force field has been calculated by non equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. For driven forces in the radio frequency and…
Dynamic-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) in liquid remains complicated due to the strong viscous damping of the cantilever resonance. Here we show that a high-quality resonance (Q>20) can be achieved in aqueous solution by attaching a…
We present measurements of thermal noise in niobium and aluminium flexures. Our measurements cover the audio frequency band from 10Hz to 10kHz, which is of particular relevance to ground-based interferometric gravitational wave detectors,…
We present thermophoretic measurements in aqueous suspensions of three different polystyrene (PS) particles of varying negative charge, size and surface coating. Our measurement technique is based on the observation of the colloidal…
We have developed a low-temperature scanning probe microscope using a quartz tuning fork operating at 4.2 K. A silicon tip from a commercial cantilever was attached to one prong of the tuning fork. With a metallic coating, a potential could…
The electric forces acting on an atomic force microscope tip in solution have been measured using a microelectrochemical cell formed by two periodically biased electrodes. The forces were measured as a function of lift height and bias…
Photo-induced forces can be used to manipulate and cool the mechanical motion of oscillators. When the oscillator is used as a force sensor, such as in atomic force microscopy, active feedback is an enticing route to enhancing measurement…
Temperature changes affect the coercivity of permanent magnets, thereby impacting the $Bl$ factor and potentially introducing systematic errors in Kibble balance measurements. While the thermal-magnetic effect is negligible in large magnet…
Micro-optomechanical systems are central to a number of recent proposals for realizing quantum mechanical effects in relatively massive systems. Here we focus on a particular class of experiments which aim to demonstrate massive quantum…
The torsional vibration of atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers is critical for high-sensitivity measurements, yet existing models for width-varying cantilevers often rely on approximations that lead to significant discrepancies with…
It is suggested that nano-mechanical cantilevers can be employed as high-Q filters to circumvent laser noise limitations on the sensitivity of frequency modulation spectroscopy. In this approach a cantilever is actuated by the radiation…
Squeezing the quadrature noise of a harmonic oscillator used as a sensor can enhance its sensitivity in certain measurment schemes. The canonical approach, based on parametric modulation of the oscillation frequency, is usually limited to a…
It is often the case that the environment of a quantum system may be described as a bath of oscillators with Ohmic density of states. In turn, the precise characterization of these classes of environments is a crucial tool to engineer…
Multi-parameter estimation is necessary for force sensing due to simultaneous and nontrivial small changes of position and momentum. Designing quantum probes that allow simultaneous estimation of all parameters is therefore an important…
In atomic force microscopy (AFM), the angle relative to the vertical ($\theta_{i}$) that the tip apex of a cantilever moves is determined by the tilt of the probe holder and the geometries of the cantilever and actuated eigenmode $i$. Even…