A novel spin resonance microscope is disclosed, the microscope design
comprising an integrated evanescent wave probe and scanning tunneling
microscope tip. The probe and tip may be either the same structure, or
they may be separate structures. The integrated design allows for
coherent excitation of precessing electron spin states in the sample such
that spin resonance may be detected because the tunneling current is
modulated by the spin resonance. Spin resonance may be affected by either
adjacent nuclei, or by adjacent electrons. The present apparatus requires
significantly reduced power inputs, such that the dead time of the system
is short, and relaxation phenomena may be evaluated without swamping the
instrument's electronics.