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Review of Scientific Instruments

Prospects for magnetic field communications and location using quantum sensors

Vladislav P. Gerginov, F. C. S. da Silva, David A. Howe

Published Dec 1, 2017• 53 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Signal attenuation limits the operating range in wireless communications and location. To solve the reduced range problem, we can use low-frequency signals in combination with magnetic sensing. We propose the use of an optically pumped magnetometer as a sensor and realize a proof-of-principle detection of binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulated signals. We demonstrate a ranging enhancement by exploiting both the magnetometer’s intrinsic sensitivity of below 1 pT/Hz1/2 and its 1 kHz operating bandwidth through the use of BPSK signals.

DOI
10.1063/1.5003821

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Signal attenuation limits the operating range in wireless communications and location. To solve the reduced range problem, we can use low-frequency signals in combination with magnetic sensing. We propose the use of an optically pumped magnetometer as a sensor and realize a proof-of-principle detection of binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulated signals. We demonstrate a ranging enhancement by exploiting both the magnetometer’s intrinsic sensitivity of below 1 pT/Hz1/2 and its 1 kHz operating bandwidth through the use of BPSK signals.
The operation of basic types of quantum magnetometers with optical pumping as signal receivers in the ultra-long wavelength range is demonstrated in this work. The circuit realization of an experimental setup, provides the registration of double radio-optical resonance signals, is discussed. The realized magnetometers sensitivity is tens of pT/Hz1/2at bandwidth up to 1 kHz. The comparison of the absorption resonance signals in operation modes of quantum magnetometers with and without of synchronous detection is done. Maximum frequency of magnetic signals is about 534 Hz. An estimate of the maximum receiving distance is about of 100 m. The spectrum of frequency-modulated magnetometer signal is discussed. Prospects and features for the use of quantum magnetometers as super-low-frequency signal receivers are presented.
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We introduce and demonstrate a hybrid optically pumped magnetometer (HOPM) that simultaneously measures one dc field component and one rf field component quadrature with a single atomic spin ensemble. The HOPM achieves sub-pT/Hz\mathrm{pT}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}pT/Hz​ sensitivity for both dc and rf fields, and is limited in sensitivity by spin projection noise at low frequencies and by photon shot noise at high frequencies. We demonstrate with the HOPM an alternative application of multiparameter quantum sensing: background-canceling spread spectrum magnetic communication. We encode a digital message as rf amplitude, spread among 16 channels from 29 to 33 kHz in a noisy magnetic environment, and observe quantum-noise-limited rf magnetic signal recovery enabled by quantum-noise-limited dc noise cancelation, reaching noise rejection of 15 dB at 100 Hz and more than 20 dB at 60 Hz and below. We measure signal fidelity versus signal strength and extrinsic noise in communication of a short text message. The combination of high sensitivity, quantum-noise-limited performance, and real-world application potential makes the HOPM ideally suited for the study of high-performance multiparameter quantum sensing.
Quantum sensing has appeared as a promising technique to push the sensitivities of sensors to inherent classical physical limitations. In particular, quantum magnetometers opens the possibilities of new range of applications where extreme sensitivities are needed. A zero field Optically Pumped Magnetometer (OPM), coupled to a conical magnetic guide (MG) is known as a promising technique to improve the spatial resolution of the sensor. This coupling, though, can produce disturbances in the optimal sensing point. In this work a set of compensating coils is designed to reduce the impact of the magnetic guide in the initial sub-15 $\fT/\sqrt{Hz}$ sensitivity of the commercial QuSpin QZFM. First, the system and different strategies are studied theoretically and later implemented experimentally, improving the sensitivity in the OPM-MG by an order of magnitude, from 100 fT/HzfT/\sqrt{Hz}fT/Hz​ originally, to 10 fT/HzfT/\sqrt{Hz}fT/Hz​.
Emerging quantum sensing devices namely atomic magnetometers have become promising candidate for future biomagnetism imaging. However, the limitation of detection bandwidth exists a major drawback for devices of this kind. Conventional approaches, including transverse magnetic field modulation and close-loop control, have seen challenging tradeoffs between size, resolution and bandwidths. In this study, a wide bandwidth zero-field magnetometer with a miniaturized light source has been developed for alternating current (AC) magnetic field detection. A dual-beam Spin-Exchange Relaxation-Free (SERF) magnetometer employing a 4×4×4mm3 alkali metal vapor cell achieves a bandwidth of 188 Hz. This represents a threefold increase in bandwidth compared to non-modulated mode. The sensitivity under modulated mode demonstrated a sensitivity of 55fT/Hz1/2within the frequency range of 10-188Hz. Our results also demonstrated that the sensitivity is constrained by relaxation induced by the modulation of pumping source, so possible tradeoffs can be made based on various applications. The proposed method provides novel approach for bandwidth extension of atomic magnetometers which further pave the way for future applications including magnetoencephalography (MEG), particularly in reducing magnetic noise crosstalk and enhancing spatial resolution.
Optically pumped atomic magnetometers (OPAMs) offer high sensitivity at room temperature and are increasingly considered for portable magnetic sensing in geomagnetic-field environments. Here, we report a handheld-scale, single-beam scalar 87Rb OPAM with a sensor-head volume of approximately 110 ml. The device operates in an all-optical Bell–Bloom configuration and uses digital lock-in, dispersive tracking of the 87Rb Larmor resonance, implemented with a hybrid electronics stack that combines in-house control hardware with commercial modules. A single frequency-modulated laser beam performs both pumping and probing without RF coils. All signal processing is realized in Python on a single-board computer paired with a commercial off-the-shelf data-acquisition module, enabling immediate deployment without dedicated signal-processing hardware. The magnetometer has an intrinsic in-band field sensitivity of approximately 21 pT/Hz, estimated from the lock-in dispersion slope, over a 0.1–30 Hz closed-loop in-band region with a digital-output rate of 200 samples/s. In an unshielded Earth-field deployment, we detect repeatable transient magnetic signatures from a controlled elevator motion sequence and quantify standoff observability over sensor-elevator distances from 1.25 m to 10 m. These results show that compact scalar OPAMs can provide bandwidth and range-resolved event sensitivity suitable for field-deployable magnetic anomaly detection and infrastructure monitoring in realistic geomagnetic environments.