Abstract
Leveraging quantum effects in mechanical oscillators promises major advancements in nanometrology, including sensing and imaging. Microscopic cantilevers serve as versatile force sensors with broad applications in nanoscience, nanotechnology, and, increasingly, quantum sensing. We theoretically model and investigate the quantum mechanics of cantilever probes in atomic force microscopy under conditions of reduced thermal noise. Specifically, our model captures the cantilever interaction with a surface via long-range attractive van der Waals forces and short-range repulsive-adhesive interactions described by the Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov model. We find that when the probe resides within the attractive interaction regime, a coherent state emerges, whereas, in the repulsive regime, a squeezed state forms for the cantilever’s deformation state. Our calculations explain the functional role of interaction potentials in the quantum dynamics of macroscopic mechanical systems, which are proving useful in quantum sensing and information processing. The presented calculations can be extended to investigate other interaction forces relevant to atomic force microscopy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-15 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Physical Review A |
| Volume | 112 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 22 2025 |
Funding
W.M.-A.S. is grateful for financial support from the College of Arts and Sciences at Lamar University. This work was sponsored in part by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC05- 00OR22725. This paper has been authored by UT- Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this paper or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. W.M.-A.S. is grateful for financial support from the College of Arts and Sciences at Lamar University. This work was sponsored in part by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725. This paper has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to