ANHARMONIC MODULATION FOR NOISE-REDUCTION IN MAGNETIC-RESONANCE FORCE MICROSCOPY

This article presents a new modulation technique for noise reduction in magnetic resonance force microscopy. Applied fields are modulated at frequencies that are not rational fractions of the cantilever resonant frequency, thus avoiding overtones that contribute to the noise level. An on-resonance signal is obtained because the nonlinear sample magnetization acts as a frequency mixer of the two modulation frequencies, producing a net force modulation at the cantilever resonant frequency. These techniques are experimentally demonstrated using electron spin resonance in a <15 ng sample of diphenylpicrylhydrazil. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.