Calibrated Force Measurement In Atomic Force Microscopy Using The Transient Fluctuation Theorem

The transient fluctuation theorem is used to calibrate an atomic force microscope by measuring the fluctuations of the work performed by a time-dependent force applied between a colloidal probe and the surface. From this measure one can easily extract the value of the interaction force and the relevant parameters of the cantilever. The results of this analysis are compared with those obtained by standard calibration methods.