Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC)

Chip-Scale SERF Atomic Magnetometer without Magnetic Shield

Lin Lu, Jintang Shang, Zhihua Pan, Yu Ji

Published May 1, 2017• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Atomic magnetometer operating in spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) regime has a wide range of applications due to its ultra-high sensitivity. However, the requirement of operating in near-zero magnetic field restricts some of the applications which need the atomic magnetometer to work in the high field environment such as monitoring the magnetic anomalies. A novel scheme of the chip-scale SERF atomic magnetometer operating in geomagnetic field without magnetic shield is demonstrated here. A 18 bits high-precise digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is applied to ensure the stability of the compensated magnetic field. The fluctuation of the compensated magnetic field is less than 8.3nT and a measurement sensitivity of 12.4pT/Hz1/2 is achieved in the laboratory environment without any magnetic shields.

DOI
10.1109/ectc.2017.265

Related papers

In situ triaxial magnetic field compensation for the spin-exchange-relaxation-free atomic magnetometer

Jiancheng Fang, Jie Qin

The spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer is an ultra-high sensitivity magnetometer, but it must be operated in a magnetic field with strength less than about 10 nT. Magnetic field compensation is an effective way to shield the magnetic field, and this paper demonstrates an in situ triaxial magnetic field compensation system for operating the SERF atomic magnetometer. The proposed hardware is based on optical pumping, which uses some part of the SERF atomic magnetometer itself, and the compensation method is implemented by analyzing the dynamics of the atomic spin. The experimental setup for this compensation system is described, and with this configuration, a residual magnetic field of strength less than 2 nT (±0.38 nT in the x axis, ±0.43 nT in the y axis, and ±1.62 nT in the z axis) has been achieved after compensation. The SERF atomic magnetometer was then used to verify that the residual triaxial magnetic fields were coincident with what were achieved by the compensation system.

Review of Scientific Instruments•Oct 1, 2012•69 citations

A High Sensitivity Closed-Loop Spin-Exchange Relaxation-Free Atomic Magnetometer With Broad Bandwidth

Qingqian Guo, Tao Hu, Chun-qiao Chen +6 more

Spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometers are the promising non-cryogenic sensors to potentially replace the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in the ultra-weak magnetic-field measurements. Although the SERF magnetometers have achieved a sensitivity of sub-femtotesla, the bandwidth is limited at a narrow range. In this work, we developed a closed-loop SERF magnetometer under proportional-integral (PI) control, the bandwidth could be adaptively tuned and extended above 1.2 kHz. A nearly 40-fold enhancement of the typical bandwidth was achieved in comparison with the open-loop system and the sensitivity was maintained at 15 fT/Hz1/2from 30 Hz to 750 Hz. Moreover, the magnetic field dynamic range could also be greatly improved. This proposed atomic magnetometer with higher bandwidth, sensitivity, and dynamic range has a good prospect in developing a compact, portable, and non-cryogenic magnetic field sensor and may find more applications in biomedical, nuclear magnetic resonance, and fundamental physics research.

IEEE Sensors Journal•Aug 3, 2021•36 citations

Compact current-heating apparatus for SERF atomic magnetometer

Tang Xingbin, Dong Haifeng

The spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer is one of the ultra-sensitive magnetometers, which must be operated in a low magnetic field and heated more than 100°C. One of the main engineering difficulties in fabricating a SERF atomic magnetometer is to develop a heater that introduces no additional magnetic noise into the measurement system. In this paper, a novel compact current-heating scheme and apparatus for the SERF atomic magnetometer are proposed. The thermal and magnetic simulations of this apparatus are carried out and the results of the simulations demonstrate the feasibility of this heating apparatus: the vapor cell can be heated to a temperature of 103°C and magnetic field introduced in the magnetometer can be limited in 10nT.

IEEE International Conference on Electronic Measurement & Instruments•Aug 1, 2011•0 citations

The influence of spin-destruction collisions on the precision of atomic SERF magnetometer

Lijun Liu, Shuming Cheng, Zairong Xi +1 more

High precision measurement of magnetic fields has been of great importance for both fundamental physics and practical applications. Magnetometers based on atomic spin effect provide a new technique for high precision measurement and have been enabled as the most sensitive magnetic sensors at present. However, the atomic spins used as probes to sense the magnetic fields are prone to the decoherence effects. For the atomic spin-exchange relaxation free (SERF) magnetometer which operates with high alkali atoms density in very low magnetic fields, the main relaxation mechanism is the spin-destruction collisions between atoms. In this paper, it is demonstrated by numerical simulations that the precision of the atomic SERF magnetometer is significantly affected by this spin-destruction collisions.

Chinese Control Conference (CCC)•Jul 1, 2014•0 citations

Chip-Scale SERF Atomic Magnetometer Realized by Virtual Lock-in Amplifier

Gong Sun, Jintang Shang, Junming Wu +3 more

This paper presents a new design of a chip-scale atomic magnetometer based on Spin Exchange Relaxation Free (SERF) mechanism, which can easily expand the measurement channels. The lock-in amplifier used to detect the photoelectric signal is realized by the data acquisition board and the virtual instrument based on LabVIEW, which can extract the information of the signal from the input whose signal-to-noise ratio is not lower than 30dB. In order to ensure that the sensor works in the weak magnetic environment, the compensation curves in Y and Z directions are theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified. After completing the magnetic compensation, this system realizes the simultaneous acquisition of two photodiode signals, and the sensitivity of single channel magnetometer reaches 440 fT/√Hz at 20Hz. This paper provides a scheme for realizing the multi-channel atomic magnetometer.

International Conference on Electronic Packaging Technology (ICEPT)•Aug 10, 2022•0 citations

Wide-range and self-locking atomic magnetometer based on free spin precession

Pei-Xian Miao, Wenqiang Zheng, Shiyu Yang +8 more

The magnetic field is one of the most fundamental and ubiquitous physical observables, often conveying rich information about its generation source. Atomic magnetometers have been proven to be high-potential techniques for weak magnetic field measurement in various applications. However, due to the lack of excellent frequency-locking ability against abrupt magnetic field changes, atomic magnetometers are limited to use in application scenarios, which require both wide-range and self-locking characteristics. In this paper, theoretical and experimental research for a wide-range and self-locking rubidium atomic magnetometer based on free spin precession is presented. The rubidium atomic magnetometer can track a magnetic field jump of 10,000 nT in the measurement range from 500 nT to 100,500 nT. We also investigate the bandwidth and dead zone of the atomic magnetometer. An atomic magnetometer with excellent self-locking ability in a wide range can be developed into new highly sensitive magnetic measuring devices, enabling geomagnetic measurement in real environments and monitoring the magnetic phase transitions or coercive fields of soft magnetic materials in very magnetic-shielding environments.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Mar 4, 2019•11 citations
Atomic magnetometer operating in spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) regime has a wide range of applications due to its ultra-high sensitivity. However, the requirement of operating in near-zero magnetic field restricts some of the applications which need the atomic magnetometer to work in the high field environment such as monitoring the magnetic anomalies. A novel scheme of the chip-scale SERF atomic magnetometer operating in geomagnetic field without magnetic shield is demonstrated here. A 18 bits high-precise digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is applied to ensure the stability of the compensated magnetic field. The fluctuation of the compensated magnetic field is less than 8.3nT and a measurement sensitivity of 12.4pT/Hz1/2 is achieved in the laboratory environment without any magnetic shields.
The spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer is an ultra-high sensitivity magnetometer, but it must be operated in a magnetic field with strength less than about 10 nT. Magnetic field compensation is an effective way to shield the magnetic field, and this paper demonstrates an in situ triaxial magnetic field compensation system for operating the SERF atomic magnetometer. The proposed hardware is based on optical pumping, which uses some part of the SERF atomic magnetometer itself, and the compensation method is implemented by analyzing the dynamics of the atomic spin. The experimental setup for this compensation system is described, and with this configuration, a residual magnetic field of strength less than 2 nT (±0.38 nT in the x axis, ±0.43 nT in the y axis, and ±1.62 nT in the z axis) has been achieved after compensation. The SERF atomic magnetometer was then used to verify that the residual triaxial magnetic fields were coincident with what were achieved by the compensation system.
Spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometers are the promising non-cryogenic sensors to potentially replace the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in the ultra-weak magnetic-field measurements. Although the SERF magnetometers have achieved a sensitivity of sub-femtotesla, the bandwidth is limited at a narrow range. In this work, we developed a closed-loop SERF magnetometer under proportional-integral (PI) control, the bandwidth could be adaptively tuned and extended above 1.2 kHz. A nearly 40-fold enhancement of the typical bandwidth was achieved in comparison with the open-loop system and the sensitivity was maintained at 15 fT/Hz1/2from 30 Hz to 750 Hz. Moreover, the magnetic field dynamic range could also be greatly improved. This proposed atomic magnetometer with higher bandwidth, sensitivity, and dynamic range has a good prospect in developing a compact, portable, and non-cryogenic magnetic field sensor and may find more applications in biomedical, nuclear magnetic resonance, and fundamental physics research.
The spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer is one of the ultra-sensitive magnetometers, which must be operated in a low magnetic field and heated more than 100°C. One of the main engineering difficulties in fabricating a SERF atomic magnetometer is to develop a heater that introduces no additional magnetic noise into the measurement system. In this paper, a novel compact current-heating scheme and apparatus for the SERF atomic magnetometer are proposed. The thermal and magnetic simulations of this apparatus are carried out and the results of the simulations demonstrate the feasibility of this heating apparatus: the vapor cell can be heated to a temperature of 103°C and magnetic field introduced in the magnetometer can be limited in 10nT.
High precision measurement of magnetic fields has been of great importance for both fundamental physics and practical applications. Magnetometers based on atomic spin effect provide a new technique for high precision measurement and have been enabled as the most sensitive magnetic sensors at present. However, the atomic spins used as probes to sense the magnetic fields are prone to the decoherence effects. For the atomic spin-exchange relaxation free (SERF) magnetometer which operates with high alkali atoms density in very low magnetic fields, the main relaxation mechanism is the spin-destruction collisions between atoms. In this paper, it is demonstrated by numerical simulations that the precision of the atomic SERF magnetometer is significantly affected by this spin-destruction collisions.
This paper presents a new design of a chip-scale atomic magnetometer based on Spin Exchange Relaxation Free (SERF) mechanism, which can easily expand the measurement channels. The lock-in amplifier used to detect the photoelectric signal is realized by the data acquisition board and the virtual instrument based on LabVIEW, which can extract the information of the signal from the input whose signal-to-noise ratio is not lower than 30dB. In order to ensure that the sensor works in the weak magnetic environment, the compensation curves in Y and Z directions are theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified. After completing the magnetic compensation, this system realizes the simultaneous acquisition of two photodiode signals, and the sensitivity of single channel magnetometer reaches 440 fT/√Hz at 20Hz. This paper provides a scheme for realizing the multi-channel atomic magnetometer.
The magnetic field is one of the most fundamental and ubiquitous physical observables, often conveying rich information about its generation source. Atomic magnetometers have been proven to be high-potential techniques for weak magnetic field measurement in various applications. However, due to the lack of excellent frequency-locking ability against abrupt magnetic field changes, atomic magnetometers are limited to use in application scenarios, which require both wide-range and self-locking characteristics. In this paper, theoretical and experimental research for a wide-range and self-locking rubidium atomic magnetometer based on free spin precession is presented. The rubidium atomic magnetometer can track a magnetic field jump of 10,000 nT in the measurement range from 500 nT to 100,500 nT. We also investigate the bandwidth and dead zone of the atomic magnetometer. An atomic magnetometer with excellent self-locking ability in a wide range can be developed into new highly sensitive magnetic measuring devices, enabling geomagnetic measurement in real environments and monitoring the magnetic phase transitions or coercive fields of soft magnetic materials in very magnetic-shielding environments.