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Applied Physics Letters

Magnetoencephalography with a two-color pump-probe, fiber-coupled atomic magnetometer

Cort Johnson, Peter D. D. Schwindt, Michael P. Weisend

Published Dec 13, 2010• 210 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The authors have detected magnetic fields from the human brain with a compact, fiber-coupled rubidium spin-exchange-relaxation-free magnetometer. Optical pumping is performed on the D1 transition and Faraday rotation is measured on the D2 transition. The beams share an optical axis, with dichroic optics preparing beam polarizations appropriately. A sensitivity of <5 fT/Hz is achieved. Evoked responses resulting from median nerve and auditory stimulation were recorded with the atomic magnetometer. Recordings were validated by comparison with those taken by a commercial magnetoencephalography system. The design is amenable to arraying sensors around the head, providing a framework for noncryogenic, whole-head magnetoencephalography.

DOI
10.1063/1.3522648

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Applied Physics Letters•Dec 10, 2012•172 citations
The authors have detected magnetic fields from the human brain with a compact, fiber-coupled rubidium spin-exchange-relaxation-free magnetometer. Optical pumping is performed on the D1 transition and Faraday rotation is measured on the D2 transition. The beams share an optical axis, with dichroic optics preparing beam polarizations appropriately. A sensitivity of <5 fT/Hz is achieved. Evoked responses resulting from median nerve and auditory stimulation were recorded with the atomic magnetometer. Recordings were validated by comparison with those taken by a commercial magnetoencephalography system. The design is amenable to arraying sensors around the head, providing a framework for noncryogenic, whole-head magnetoencephalography.
In recent years, atomic magnetometers (AMs) have demonstrated sub-femtotesla sensitivities and have emerged as potential replacements for superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). In an AM, a circularly polarized pump laser aligns the electron spins in a cloud of alkali metal vapor. Changes occur in the optical properties of the vapor when its collective moment interacts with an external magnetic field, resulting in a measurable polarization rotation of a linearly polarized probe beam. We present a unique pump/probe scheme in which a pump beam tuned to the87Rb D1 line (795 nm) and a probe beam tuned to the D2 line (780 nm) share a single optical axis. A dichroic waveplate is used to circularly polarize the pump beam while leaving the probe beam linearly polarized. Based upon this scheme, we have developed a small profile, fiber-coupled AM. By independently optimizing pump/probe power and detuning, we are able to achieve intrinsic single-channel sensitivity of <; 5 fT/√Hz, which is suitable for demanding applications such as magnetoencephalography (MEG). Furthermore, through straightforward adaptations of the current design, it should be possible to create dense, reconfigurable arrays of AMs for whole-head MEG.
Atomic magnetometers operated in the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime are the promising sensor to replace superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) in the biomagnetism field. The SERF magnetometer with compact size and good performance is crucial to the new generation of wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. In this paper, we developed a compact and closed-loop SERF magnetometer with the dimensions of 15.0×22.0×30.0 mm3 based on a single-beam configuration. The bandwidth of the magnetometer was extended to 675 Hz while the sensitivity was maintained at 22 fT/Hz1/2. A nearly 3-fold enhancement of the bandwidth was obtained in comparison with the open-loop control. The implementation of the closed-loop control also greatly improved the dynamic range, enabling the magnetometer to be robust against the disturbance of the ambient field. Moreover, the magnetometer was successfully applied for the detection of human α-rhythm and auditory evoked fields (AEFs), which demonstrated the potential to be extended to multi-channel MEG measurements for future neuroscience studies.
Atomic magnetometers with magnetic field modulation have emerged as pivotal sensors for biomagnetic measurements. However, challenges such as crosstalk between adjacent modulation fields and the complexity of signal circuitry become increasingly serious in the development of array-based equipment with the magnetometers, especially in the miniaturized atomic magnetometer. This paper proposes an all-optical, fully integrated fiber-coupled atomic magnetometer that employs pump beam modulation. A miniaturized atomic magnetometer with a volume of 10 cm³ has been designed, incorporating an active measurement area of 3 × 3 × 3 mm3. The magnetometer operates in the spinexchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime with an 87Rb vapor cell. An amplitude-modulated pump beam directly modulates the rubidium atomic ensembles, rather than the magnetic field modulation. The optical rotation angle is detected by an unmodulated probe beam oriented orthogonally to the pump beam. In light of the discontinuous pumping characteristics, we developed a modified theoretical model to clarify the output response of the proposed atomic magnetometer. The experimental results demonstrate that the new design achieves the same sensitivity as conventional magnetometer configurations with a smaller volume and without crosstalk of the magnetic field. This research highlights the significant potential for advancing the development of highly sensitive, miniaturized atomic magnetometers, making them particularly suitable for applications in magnetocardiography (MCG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Abstract We display a single-beam triaxial spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer by utilizing two orthogonal transverse modulation fields perpendicular to the light. The magnetic field’s three-axis vector components can be extracted simultaneously and independently from the transmitted light by lock-in amplifiers with reference to the different demodulated frequencies. We find that the residual magnetic field is a significant factor that could affect triaxial coupling, and specially the influence of the z -axis remanence on xy -axis coupling is studied in detail. Under the optimal parameters, the three-axis sensitivities are 20 fT Hz − 1 / 2 in the x - and y - axis, and 230 fT Hz − 1 / 2 in the z -axis. Meanwhile, the three-axis bandwidths are 110 Hz, 138 Hz and 211 Hz in the x -, y - and z -axis, respectively. The proposed single-beam triaxial SERF atomic magnetometer could be used to construct a compact and low-cost atomic sensor that is particularly suitable for the vector measurement of the biomagnetic such as magnetoencephalography and magnetocardiography.
Abstract The magnetic field is one of the most fundamental and ubiquitous physical observables, carrying information about all electromagnetic phenomena. For the past 30 years, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) operating at 4 K have been unchallenged as ultrahigh-sensitivity magnetic field detectors1, with a sensitivity reaching down to 1 fT Hz-1/2 (1 fT = 10-15 T). They have enabled, for example, mapping of the magnetic fields produced by the brain, and localization of the underlying electrical activity (magnetoencephalography). Atomic magnetometers, based on detection of Larmor spin precession of optically pumped atoms, have approached similar levels of sensitivity using large measurement volumes2, 3, but have much lower sensitivity in the more compact designs required for magnetic imaging applications4. Higher sensitivity and spatial resolution combined with non-cryogenic operation of atomic magnetometers would enable new applications, including the possibility of mapping non-invasively the cortical modules in the brain. Here we describe a new spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer, and demonstrate magnetic field sensitivity of 0.54 fT Hz-1/2 with a measurement volume of only 0.3 cm3. Theoretical analysis shows that fundamental sensitivity limits of this device are below 0.01 fT Hz-1/2. We also demonstrate simple multichannel operation of the magnetometer, and localization of magnetic field sources with a resolution of 2 mm.
We demonstrate an optical magnetometer based on a microfabricated 87Rb vapor cell in a micromachined silicon sensor head. The alkali atom density in the vapor cell is increased by heating the cell with light brought to the sensor through an optical fiber, and absorbed by colored filters attached to the cell windows. A second fiber-optically coupled beam optically pumps and interrogates the atoms. The magnetometer operates on 140 mW of heating power and achieves a sensitivity below 20 fT/√Hz throughout most of the frequency band from 15 Hz to 100 Hz. Such a sensor can measure magnetic fields from the human heart and brain.