Pauli's Principle in Probe Microscopy

TL;DR

This paper explores how the Pauli exclusion principle enables high-resolution imaging in dynamic force microscopy, emphasizing its origins, interpretation, and experimental implications for submolecular imaging.

Contribution

It provides an experimentalist's perspective on the role of Pauli's principle in achieving submolecular resolution in probe microscopy.

Findings

Clear images of intramolecular structure achieved in force microscopy

Analysis of the origins and interpretation of Pauli's principle

Insights into the exclusion principle's role in interatomic interactions

Abstract

Exceptionally clear images of intramolecular structure can be attained in dynamic force microscopy through the combination of a passivated tip apex and operation in what has become known as the "Pauli exclusion regime" of the tip-sample interaction. We discuss, from an experimentalist's perspective, a number of aspects of the exclusion principle which underpin this ability to achieve submolecular resolution. Our particular focus is on the origins, history, and interpretation of Pauli's principle in the context of interatomic and intermolecular interactions.