The problem of measuring single electron or nuclear spins is of great interest for a variety of purposes, from imaging the structure of molecules to quantum information processing. One of the most promising techniques is magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM), in which the force between a spin and a small permanent magnet resonantly drives the oscillations of a microcantilever. Numerous issues arise in understanding this system: thermal noise in the cantilever, shot-noise and back-action from monitoring the cantilever's motion, spin relaxation, and interaction with higher cantilever modes. Detailed models of these effects allow one to assess their relative importance and the necessary improvements for sensitivity at the single-spin level.
Single-spin measurements for quantum computation using magnetic resonance force microscopy
