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This magnetic tip (shown colorized in blue) affixed to a magnetic resonance force microscope (MRFM) cantilever is the key element in IBM's detection of the magnetism from a single electron.
Only 150 nanometers thick, this small bit of samarium-cobalt magnetic alloy generates an intense, localized magnetic field. The interaction of this magnetic field with the electron spin causes the cantilever to be either attracted or repelled by the electron spin, depending on the orientation of the electron.
The thickened region at the end the silicon cantilever (on which the magnetic tip sits) is designed to add mass at the end of the cantilever, thus reducing high-frequency tip vibrations that can disturb the spin during measurement. This thickened region measures about 10 micrometers long, 5 micrometers wide and 1 micrometer thick. (The scale bar represents about 1 micrometer.)
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