Realistic simulations of single-spin nondemolition measurement by magnetic resonance force microscopy

A requirement for many quantum computation schemes is the ability to measure single spins. This paper examines one proposed scheme: magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM), including the effects of thermal noise and back action from monitoring. We derive a simplified equation using the adiabatic approximation and produce a stochastic pure state unraveling which is useful for numerical simulations. We also calculate the signal-to-noise ratio for single-spin measurement by MRFM, using a quantum Langevin equation approach.