Cooling a magnetic resonance force microscope via the dynamical back-action of nuclear spins

Abstract

We analyze the back-action influence of nuclear spins on the motion of the cantilever of a magnetic force resonance microscope. We calculate the contribution of nuclear spins to the damping and frequency shift of the cantilever. We show that, at the Rabi frequency, the energy exchange between the cantilever and the spin system cools or heats the cantilever depending on the sign of the high-frequency detuning. We also show that the spin noise leads to a significant damping of the cantilever motion.