Conservative and dissipative interactions in dynamic force microscopy

Dynamic force microscopy has proved to be a powerful imaging tool. Here, the tip of an atomic force microscope is vibrated at a high frequency, typically the resonance frequency of the lever sensor, and at a large vibration amplitude, typically of the order of 10 nm. Imaging contrast is obtained from measuring shifts of the resonance frequency, which provides information on conservative interactions, and of the Q-factor, which is sensitive to dissipative interactions. Problems associated with interaction sensing are discussed from a theoretical and an experimental point of view.