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arXiv:2010.04437 · Applied Physics Letters

Magnetic induction imaging with a cold-atom radio frequency magnetometer

Alessandro Fregosi, C. Gabbanini, S. Gozzini, L. Lenci, C. Marinelli, A. Fioretti

Published Oct 5, 2020• 17 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The sensitive detection of either static or radio frequency (RF) magnetic fields is essential to many fundamental studies and applications. Here, we demonstrate the operation of a cold-atom-based RF magnetometer in performing 1D and 2D imaging of small metallic objects. It is based on a cold 85Rb atomic sample and operates in an unshielded environment with no active field stabilization. It shows a sensitivity up to 200 pT/Hz in the 5−35 kHz bandwidth range and can resolve a 0.4 mm wide cut in a 0.8 mm thick metallic foil. The characteristics of our system make it a good candidate for applications in civil and industrial surveillance.

DOI
10.1063/5.0020415

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The sensitive detection of either static or radio frequency (RF) magnetic fields is essential to many fundamental studies and applications. Here, we demonstrate the operation of a cold-atom-based RF magnetometer in performing 1D and 2D imaging of small metallic objects. It is based on a cold 85Rb atomic sample and operates in an unshielded environment with no active field stabilization. It shows a sensitivity up to 200 pT/Hz in the 5−35 kHz bandwidth range and can resolve a 0.4 mm wide cut in a 0.8 mm thick metallic foil. The characteristics of our system make it a good candidate for applications in civil and industrial surveillance.
We propose and demonstrate a radio-frequency atomic magnetometer with sub-Doppler laser cooled rubidium-87. With a simple and compact design, our system demonstrates a sensitivity of 330 pT/Hz in an unshielded environment, thus matching or surpassing previously reported cold atom designs. By merging the multiple uses and the robustness of radio-frequency atomic magnetometers with the detailed control of laser cooling, our cold atom radio-frequency magnetometer has potential for moving applications of atomic magnetometry to high spatial resolutions. A direct impact in metrology for applied sciences, materials characterization, and nanotechnology can be anticipated.
We report on a single-channel rubidium radio-frequency atomic magnetometer operating in unshielded environments and near room temperature with a measured sensitivity of 130 fT/Hz. We demonstrate consistent, narrow-bandwidth operation across the kHz–MHz band, corresponding to three orders of magnitude of the magnetic field amplitude. A compensation coil system controlled by a feedback loop actively and automatically stabilizes the magnetic field around the sensor. We measure a reduction in the 50 Hz noise contribution by an order of magnitude. The small effective sensor volume, 57 mm3, increases the spatial resolution of the measurements. Low temperature operation, without any magnetic shielding, coupled with the broad tunability, and low beam power, dramatically extends the range of potential field applications for our device.
We report on a radio frequency magnetometer employing a Bose–Einstein condensate of 87Rb atoms held in a dipole trap. An AC sensitivity of 296 pT/Hz is achieved at a probing volume of 3.2×10−8 cm3, leading to a volume-normalized sensitivity of 53 fT/Hz cm−3. At larger probing volumes with the atoms released from the magnetic trap used in the initial phase of the evaporation sequence, the AC sensitivity is improved to 1.4 pT/Hz, allowing a two-mode approach for applications requiring improved sensitivity. Immediate application in high-resolution electromagnetic induction imaging is expected when compared to performance of other induction-based imaging platforms.
We describe an alkali-metal magnetometer for detection of weak magnetic fields in the radio-frequency (rf) range. High sensitivity is achieved by tuning the Zeeman resonance of alkali atoms to the rf frequency and partially suppressing spin-exchange collisions in the alkali-metal vapor. We demonstrate magnetic field sensitivity of 2 fT/Hz(1/2) at a frequency of 99 kHz with a resonance width of 400 Hz. We also derive a simple analytic expression for the fundamental limit on the sensitivity of the rf magnetometer and show that a sensitivity of about 0.01 fT/Hz(1/2) can be achieved in a practical system with a measurement volume of 200 cm3.
We report on a single-channel rubidium radio-frequency atomic magnetometer operating in unshielded \nenvironments and near room temperature with a measured sensitivity of 130 fT/√ \nHz. We demonstrate \nconsistent, narrow-bandwidth operation across the kHz–MHz band, corresponding to three orders \nof magnitude of the magnetic field amplitude. A compensation coil system controlled by a feedback \nloop actively and automatically stabilizes the magnetic field around the sensor. We measure \na reduction in the 50 Hz noise contribution by an order of magnitude. The small effective sensor \nvolume, 57 mm3 \n, increases the spatial resolution of the measurements. Low temperature operation, \nwithout any magnetic shielding, coupled with the broad tunability, and low beam power, dramatically \nextends the range of potential field applications for our device.
Real-world applications of atomic magnetometers require the ability to operate them with high-sensitivity in the presence of magnetic noise. In the present work, high-sensitivity operation of unshielded atomic magnetometers in a magnetically noisy environment is demonstrated. The distinguishing feature of the demonstrated approach is the implementation of active in-situ bias field stabilization using multiple fluxgate magnetometers. This is combined with the use of a counter-propagating pump and triple-pass probe configuration, to maximize the atomic polarization and the probe rotation respectively, so to reach high-sensitivity. The improvement in sensitivity of the unshielded system with respect to previous realizations is fully characterized, with the contributions of the different modifications of the apparatus individually quantified. The presented set-up is suitable for the detection of long-range magnetic fields, where shielding or differential measurements using multi-sensor set-ups do not constitute viable options.