D T Smith and J R Pratt
We present instrumentation and methodology for simultaneously measuring force and displacement at the atomic scale at 4 K. The technique, which uses a macroscopic cantilever as a force sensor and high-resolution, high-stability fiber-optic interferometers for displacement measurement, is particularly well-suited to making accurate, traceable measurements of force and displacement in nanometer- and atomic-scale mechanical deformation experiments. The technique emphasizes accurate co-location of force and displacement measurement and measures cantilever stiffness at the contact point in situ at 4 K using photon momentum. We present preliminary results of measurements made of the force required to rupture a single atomic bond in a gold single-atom chain formed between a gold flat and a gold tip. Finally, we discuss the possible use of the gold–gold bond rupture force as an intrinsic force calibration value for forces near 1 nN.
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