Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for determining mechanical properties, more particularly rheological properties, of a system, having an oscillatable contact element and having a further contact element, in which apparatus the two contact elements are arranged in such a manner relative to one another that they can be operatively connected to one another by means of the system, having a device for photothermally exciting the oscillatable contact element, and with a device for detecting vibrations in the excited oscillatable contact element, wherein both the excitation device and the detection device interact with the oscillatable contact element, wherein the oscillatable contact element and the system can be excited to oscillate with different frequencies and/or with one or more frequency sweeps.

Abstract: The invention relates to a top-cover for a controlled environmental system (CES) for use with a measurement technique that requires introducing a probe to a sample placed on a sample holder, a CES and a procedure to control the environment for a sample in a system in particular a CES during a measurement with a probe based technique.