Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Whispering-Gallery Acoustic Sensing: Characterization Of Mesoscopic Films And Scanning Probe Microscopy Applications, Andres H. La Rosa, Nan Li, Rodolfo Fernandez, Xiaohua Wang, Richard Nordstrom, S. K. Padigi

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Full understanding of the physics underlying the striking changes in viscoelasticity, relaxation time, and phase transitions that mesoscopic fluid-like films undergo at solid-liquid interfaces, or under confinement between two sliding solid boundaries, constitutes one of the major challenges in condensed matter physics. Their role in the imaging process of solid substrates by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is also currently controversial. Aiming at improving the reliability and versatility of instrumentation dedicated to characterize mesoscopic films, a noninvasive whispering-gallery acoustic sensing (WGAS) technique is introduced; its application as feedback control in SPM is also demonstrated. To illustrate its working principle and potential …