Mechanical Generation of Radio-Frequency Fields in Nuclear-Magnetic-Resonance Force Microscopy

Abstract

Magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) can be an important tool for nanoscale NMR measurements in condensed matter, but it is a challenging technique, especially at very low temperatures. The authors show how to mechanically generate rf magnetic fields with ultralow dissipation and without an external source, even at millikelvin temperatures. Their method uses the higher modes of a magnetically tipped cantilever, which simultaneously is used as an ultrasoft force sensor at its fundamental frequency. This constitutes a major contribution toward low-temperature MRFM.