Rubidium laser optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) are widely used magnetic sensors based on the Zeeman effect, laser pumping, and magnetic resonance principles. They measure the magnetic field by measuring the magnetic resonance signal passing through a rubidium atomic gas cell. The quality of the magnetic resonance signal is a necessary condition for a magnetometer to achieve high sensitivity. In this research, to obtain the best magnetic resonance signal of rubidium laser OPMs in the Earth’s magnetic field intensity, the experiment system of rubidium laser OPMs is built with a rubidium atomic gas cell as the core component. The linewidth and amplitude ratio (LAR) of magnetic resonance signals is utilized as the optimization objective function. The magnetic resonance signals of the magnetometer experiment system are experimentally measured for different laser frequencies, radio frequency (RF) intensities, laser powers, and atomic gas cell temperatures in a background magnetic field of 50,765 nT. The experimental results indicate that optimizing these parameters can reduce the LAR by one order of magnitude. This shows that the optimal parameter combination can effectively improve the sensitivity of the magnetometer. The sensitivity defined using the noise spectral density measured under optimal experimental parameters is 1.5 pT/Hz1/2@1 Hz. This work will provide key technical support for rubidium laser OPMs’ product development.
Rubidium laser optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) are widely used magnetic sensors based on the Zeeman effect, laser pumping, and magnetic resonance principles. They measure the magnetic field by measuring the magnetic resonance signal passing through a rubidium atomic gas cell. The quality of the magnetic resonance signal is a necessary condition for a magnetometer to achieve high sensitivity. In this research, to obtain the best magnetic resonance signal of rubidium laser OPMs in the Earth’s magnetic field intensity, the experiment system of rubidium laser OPMs is built with a rubidium atomic gas cell as the core component. The linewidth and amplitude ratio (LAR) of magnetic resonance signals is utilized as the optimization objective function. The magnetic resonance signals of the magnetometer experiment system are experimentally measured for different laser frequencies, radio frequency (RF) intensities, laser powers, and atomic gas cell temperatures in a background magnetic field of 50,765 nT. The experimental results indicate that optimizing these parameters can reduce the LAR by one order of magnitude. This shows that the optimal parameter combination can effectively improve the sensitivity of the magnetometer. The sensitivity defined using the noise spectral density measured under optimal experimental parameters is 1.5 pT/Hz1/2@1 Hz. This work will provide key technical support for rubidium laser OPMs’ product development.
As a weak magnetic sensor, optical pump magnetometer is widely used in resource exploration, space exploration, and other fields. According to the principle of measuring weak magnetic anomaly signal under geomagnetic field, a rubidium optical pump magnetometer experimental system is built based on the methods of laser pumping and RF(radio frequency) field depolarization, The influence of RF field intensity on the resonance spectrum of rubidium optical pump magnetometer is studied. The results show that the intensity and linewidth of the resonance spectrum increase with the increase of RF field intensity, but the ratio of linewidth to intensity has a minimum. This paper provides a technical basis for the sensitivity optimization of rubidium optically pumped magnetometer.
Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have demonstrated significant potential in weak magnetic field detection due to their high sensitivity. In this study, we developed an Mz-type optically pumped rubidium magnetometer using a paraffin-coated anti-relaxation vapor cell. The system optimization and performance characterization were conducted inside a magnetic shield. Specifically, the pump light intensity and radio-frequency (RF) magnetic field were jointly optimized by using the linewidth-amplitude ratio as the core metric. Based on the frequency-domain noise spectrum, the sensitivity in open-loop mode was measured to be approximately 30.8 pT/Hz^{1/2}. Furthermore, a closed-loop feedback locking technique was applied, reducing the measured noise floor under the tested conditions and improving the sensitivity to 22.9 pT/Hz^{1/2}, with a measured -3 dB bandwidth of 123 Hz. The dynamic characteristics were evaluated via magnetic-field step response, showing that the system could track magnetic-field changes stably under closed-loop operation. Finally, by using tri-axial modulation and frequency-domain demodulation, we overcame the scalar measurement limitation of traditional Mz magnetometers. This work realizes vector magnetic field detection and provides a technical basis for applications such as geomagnetic navigation and magnetic anomaly detection.
Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have demonstrated significant potential in weak magnetic field detection due to their high sensitivity. In this study, we developed an Mz-type optically pumped rubidium magnetometer using a paraffin-coated anti-relaxation vapor cell. The system optimization and performance characterization were conducted inside a magnetic shield. Specifically, the pump light intensity and radio-frequency (RF) magnetic field were jointly optimized by using the linewidth-amplitude ratio as the core metric. Based on the frequency-domain noise spectrum, the sensitivity in open-loop mode was measured to be approximately 30.8pT/Hz 1/2 . Furthermore, a closed-loop feedback locking technique was applied, reducing the measured noise floor under the tested conditions and improving the sensitivity to 22.9pT/Hz 1/2 , with a measured −3dB bandwidth of 123 Hz. The dynamic characteristics were evaluated via magnetic-field step response, showing that the system could track magnetic-field changes stably under closed-loop operation. Finally, by using tri-axial modulation and frequency-domain demodulation, we overcame the scalar measurement limitation of traditional Mz magnetometers. This work realizes vector magnetic field detection and provides a technical basis for applications such as geomagnetic navigation and magnetic anomaly detection.
For the experimental implementation of an optically pumped atomic magnetometer, the magnetic resonance signal with a narrow linewidth and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is required for achieving a high sensitivity. Using 795-nm laser as both the pumping and the probe laser, we compare the magnetic resonance signals from different rubidium atomic vapor cells and investigate the variations of magnetic resonance signals with temperature. Optimized magnetic resonance signal is achieved with a paraffin-coated rubidium atomic vapor cell. Then the 780-nm laser at rubidium D2 line is introduced as a repumping laser, and we explore the changes of linewidth and SNR of the magnetic resonance signal under different power of the pumping laser and the repumping laser. Owing to the 780-nm repumping laser beam, the signal amplitude of rubidium-85 magnetic resonance signal is improved remarkably because more rubidium-85 atoms are spin- polarized by the 795-nm pumping laser beam. At the same time, the linewidth of rubidium-85 magnetic resonance signal is roughly not broadened anymore. We realize a closed-loop optically pumped rubidium-85 atomic magnetometer with a bandwidth of ~1.2 kHz, and the sensitivity is calibrated to be ~245.5 pT/Hz1/2 only with the 795-nm pumping laser beam. Owing to the employment of the 780-nm repumping laser beam, the sensitivity is improved to be ~26.4 pT/Hz1/2 which is improved roughly by one order of magnitude. We also calibrate the measurement accuracy and deviation of a commercial fluxgate magnetometer by using the enhanced rubidium magnetic resonance signal.
A free-induction-decay (FID) type optically-pumped rubidium atomic magnetometer driven by a radio-frequency (RF) magnetic field is presented in this paper. Influences of parameters, such as the temperature of rubidium vapor cell, the power of pump beam, and the strength of RF magnetic field and static magnetic field on the amplitude and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the FID signal, have been investigated in the time domain and frequency domain. At the same time, the sensitivities of the magnetometer for the single-pass and the triple-pass probe beam cases have been compared by changing the optical path of the interaction between probe beam and atomic ensemble. Compared with the sensitivity of ∼21.2 pT/Hz1/2 in the case of the single-pass probe beam, the amplitude of FID signal in the case of the triple-pass probe beam has been significantly enhanced, and the sensitivity has been improved to ∼13.4 pT/Hz1/2. The research in this paper provids a reference for the subsequent study of influence of different buffer gas pressure on the FWHM and also a foundation for further improving the sensitivity of FID rubidium atomic magnetometer by employing a polarization-squeezed light as probe beam, to achieve a sensitivity beyond the photo-shot-noise level.
In order to measure a weak alternating magnetic field, an optically-pumped Rb magnetometer based on pump-probe structure is investigated and demonstrated. The pumping light and probing light propagate along the z axis and x axis, respectively. A constant polarization magnetic field along the pumping light is applied, which not only stabilizes the polarization of Rb atoms but also tunes resonance frequency of Rb atoms. When a weak alternating magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the constant magnetic field, the magnetic moment will tip off the z axis and rotate around the z axis. And then the polarization plane of probing light is modulated correspondingly. The x component of the magnetic moment can be obtained with a balanced detector. As a result, a signal proportional to weak alternating magnetic field can be obtained.In order to obtain the magnetic response of the magnetometer, we analyze the signal amplitude as a function of polarization magnetic field strength B0 and transverse relaxation time 2 with numerical simulation. The amplitude-frequency response of the magnetometer is determined mainly by two parameters, namely cutoff frequency c=1/2 and resonance frequency 0= B0, where is the gyromagnetic ratio of Rb atom. At low frequency, that is a0 and a 0c2, the magnetometer has a flat response, here a is the frequency of the weak alternating magnetic field. If 0c, the signal amplitude will be large for large 0 or small c. For a given c, the peak response appears at 0=c. In the vicinity of resonance frequency, if c0, a peak will appear and if c 0, no peak occurs. At high frequency, the amplitude will decrease with the increase of a.We verify the above analyses in experiment. A vapor cell with a short transverse relaxation time is used to obtain large frequency response bandwidth. Through optimizing the powers and frequencies of pumping laser and probing laser, high polarization and detection sensitivity of atomic spin can be obtained. Moreover, through choosing an appropriate polarization magnetic field, the magnetometer can be maximally sensitive to the magnetic field to be measured. The experimental results show that the magnetometer has a sensitivity of about m 0.2; pT/HzHz and bandwidth of about 3.5 kHz. It can be used to detect low field magnetic resonance and high frequency abnormal physical phenomena.