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Atomic magnetometer with multiple spatial channels

Peter D. D. Schwindt

Published Jan 23, 2023• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

An atomic magnetometer includes an atomic vapor cell, an optical system conformed to transmit pump radiation and probe radiation through the vapor cell, and an optical detection system arranged to receive and detect probe radiation after it exits the vapor cell. Improvements in the separation of spatial channels are achieved by using a a diffractive optical element arranged to divide at least the pump radiation into a plurality of separate diffracted beams that traverse the vapor cell.

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quant-pharXiv:2601.18426•Jan 27, 2026•0 citations
An atomic magnetometer includes an atomic vapor cell, an optical system conformed to transmit pump radiation and probe radiation through the vapor cell, and an optical detection system arranged to receive and detect probe radiation after it exits the vapor cell. Improvements in the separation of spatial channels are achieved by using a a diffractive optical element arranged to divide at least the pump radiation into a plurality of separate diffracted beams that traverse the vapor cell.
An atomic magnetometer, and a method for using same is disclosed. The method for measuring an ambient magnetic field uses an atomic magnetometer that has a probe light beam with a probe axis that probes a polarization vector of an atomic population confined within a vapor cell. The method employs one or more measurement cycles. In each measurement cycle, the polarization vector is prepared in an initial state via an optical pumping pulse. The vapor cell is then subjected to the ambient magnetic field, which results in rotation of the polarization vector by Larmor precession. Within the measurement cycle, at a point in time after the polarization vector has been prepared in the initial state, the ambient magnetic field rotates the direction of the polarization vector, and at least one measurement is made of a projection of the Larmor-rotated polarization vector onto the probe axis during or after application of a magnetic waveform.
A method is provided for sensing a magnetic field in a magnetic gradiometer of the kind in which pump light and light constituting an optical carrier traverse first and second atomic vapor cells that contain host atoms and that are separated from each other by a known distance. According to such method, the host atoms are prepared in a coherent superposition of two quantum states that differ in energy by an amount that is sensitive to an ambient magnetic field. Modulation of the optical carrier in the respective cells gives rise to sidebands that interfere to generate a beat frequency indicative of the magnetic field gradient. The host atoms are prepared at least in a mode that allows measurement of ambient magnetic field components perpendicular to the axis of the pump light. In such mode, the host atoms are spin-polarized by pump light while subjected to a controlled magnetic field directed parallel to the pump beam, and then the controlled magnetic field is adiabatically extinguished.
High-sensitivity multi-channel atomic magnetometers are described. Methods for operating multi-channel atomic magnetometers are also described. Moreover, devices incorporating a plurality of multi-channel atomic magnetometers are described. A multi-channel atomic magnetometer may use the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) technique. A multi-channel atomic magnetometer may achieve multi-channel operation in a single module, reducing the cost of sensors. A multi-channel atomic magnetometer may be a 16-channel atomic magnetometer. A multi-channel atomic magnetometer may include a single large vapor cell including alkali-metal atoms and at least one buffer gas that restricts motion of atomic spins of the alkali-metal atoms, thereby making relatively small internal cell volumes act as a multiple independent local sensing channels. A multi-channel atomic magnetometer may include a broad pump beam that simultaneously polarizes all (or substantially all) of the alkali-metal atoms in each internal sensing volume of the vapor cell, and a broad probe beam that simultaneously measures magnetic fields at multiple sensing volumes with a photodiode array.
For precision atomic magnetometry, inert buffer gas is included in alkali-metal vapor cells to significantly broaden hyperfine transitions, which facilitates optical pumping and reduces diffusive relaxation, while also providing non-radiative excited state quenching. We show low-buffer gas pressure (below 50 Torr) alkali vapor cells with resolved hyperfine manifolds can also yield high-performance magnetometers. For high polarization in 87^{87}87Rb, we optically pump F=2F=2F=2 states with narrow linewidth σ+σ_+σ+​ light, while tuning a probe beam to depopulate F=1F=1F=1 states (Δν=6.8Δν= 6.8Δν=6.8 GHz from F=2F=2F=2). The probe tuning then also provides F=2F=2F=2 detection with high optical rotation and low probe broadening; we demonstrate top-bottom gradiometry, within a single 25 Torr, 0.5 cc cell, that yields an Earth's field free-precession magnetometer sensitivity of 18 fT/Hz\sqrt{\text{Hz}}Hz​ with a 1 kHz bandwidth, as well as RF magnetometer sensitivity of 12 fT/Hz\sqrt{\text{Hz}}Hz​ in a small band about 110 kHz.
Leveraging the quantum advantages of highly excited atoms, Rydberg atomic receivers (RAREs) represent a paradigm shift in microwave detection with extremely high sensitivity and broadband tunability. However, existing studies often model RAREs as isotropic point receivers and neglect the spatial variation of Rydberg atomic states within vapor cells, which can lead to inaccurate characterization of their reception patterns. To address this issue, we theoretically analyze the spatial response of a local-oscillator (LO) field-dressed RARE. Our results reveal that as the vapor-cell length increases, a receiving beam aligned with the LO field is formed, and its beamwidth is inversely proportional to the cell length. This finding enables atomic beamforming with only a single atomic vapor cell to enhance signal-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, we analyze the maximum beamforming gain of a single vapor cell by balancing the fundamental tradeoff between improved spatial selectivity and increased laser attenuation in the atomic medium as the vapor cell length becomes longer. To mitigate the beamforming-gain loss caused by laser attenuation, we further propose a segmental-vapor-cell architecture. In this architecture, multiple short vapor cells are arranged along the optical propagation path and separated by clear-air gaps. This design effectively expands the reception aperture while keeping the total vapor-cell length, and hence attenuation loss, fixed. As a result, it achieves a narrower beamwidth and higher beamforming gain than a conventional single-vapor-cell receiver, as demonstrated by extensive numerical results.