Bi-stability of amplitude modulation AFM in air: deterministic and stochastic outcomes for imaging biomolecular systems

The dynamics of the oscillating microcantilever for amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy (AM AFM) operating in air is well understood theoretically but the experimental outcomes are still emerging. We use double-stranded DNA on mica as a model biomolecular system for investigating the connection between theory and experiment. A demonstration that the switching between the two cantilever oscillation states is stochastic in nature is achieved, and it can be induced by means of topographical anomalies on the surface. Whether one or the other attractor basin is accessed depends on the tip-sample separation history used to achieve the imaging conditions, and we show that the behaviour is reproducible when the tip is stable and well characterized. Emergence of background noise occurs in certain regions of parameter space regardless of whether two cantilever oscillation states coexist. The low state has been explored in detail and we note that at low to intermediate values of the free amplitude, noise-free imaging is achieved. The outcomes shown here are general and demonstrate that a thorough and systematic experimental approach in conjunction with standard modelling gives insight into the mechanisms behind image contrast formation in AM AFM in air.