We
are interested in using ultra-sensitive micro- and nano-mechanical
resonators to probe quantum states. We study the quantum behavior of
small mechanical structures, their coupling to single electron states,
to spin states, to light, and to the larger environment around
them. Sensors able to detect the tiny forces arising from single
charges or spins allow the study of a wide class of problems in
condensed matter physics. Measurement techniques with unprecedented
sensitivity, including torque magnetometry and force-detected magnetic
resonance, have emerged as important applications of nano-mechanical
devices. Improved understanding of these phenomena may lead to new
high resolution nano- and atomic-scale imaging techniques.