The magnetic moment of a single spin interacting with a cantilever in magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) experiences quantum jumps in orientation rather than smooth oscillations. These jumps cannot be detected by a conventional MRFM based on observation of driven resonant oscillations of a cantilever. In this paper, we propose a method which should allow detection of the magnetic signal from a single spin using a modification of a conventional MRFM. We estimate the opportunity to detect the magnetic signal from a single proton.

• Received 4 August 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.61.3524