Magnetic resonance method and apparatus for detecting an atomic structure of a sample along a surface thereof

A method and an apparatus are disclosed for detecting an atomic structure of a sample along a surface thereof. The method comprises arranging the sample in a constant magnetic field (B0) of predetermined field strength and high homogeneity and irradiating a high-frequency magnetic field (B1) of a predetermined frequency on the sample, wherein the fields (B0) and (B1) are oriented perpendicularly to each other. The method further comprises providing a force-sensitive sensor having a paramagnetic tip comprising a paramagnetic material. The sensor is placed in close vicinity to the sample such that the paramagnetic tip is in atomic interaction with the sample surface which means that the distance between the tip and the surface is in the order of between 1 and 10 Å. The predetermined field strength and the predetermined frequency are set such that electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is excited within the tip paramagnetic material. The paramagnetic tip is then displaced parallel to the sample surface for mapping predetermined points on the sample surface. During displacing the tip the force exerted on the tip by a local inhomogeneous magnetic field (Bloc) caused by atomic magnetic moments (me,k) of the sample is measured.