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

Journal of Physics Conference Series

Sensitivity of RF atomic magnetometer affected by the gain of balanced photodetector

Kwanruthai Sibsiri, Piyachat Wungmool, Phusit Nualpijit, Puchong Kijamnajsuk, Jarin Osaklung, Malee Sutthiopad, Chaiya Luengviriya

Published Jun 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract An atomic magnetometer (AM) is very sensitive to magnetic fields and useful in many applications. AM works by optical interrogation of orientation of alkali-atom spins in a vapor cell. Since the sensitivity characterizes the performance of AM, it should be optimized. We investigate the effect of the gain of a balanced photodetector on the sensitivity of an RF atomic magnetometer setup. While the amplitude of RF signal (BRF) varies between 0.1-10 nT, the frequency is fixed at 100 kHz. The gain of the balanced photodetector varies between 103 - 107 V/A. the noise density and AM signal are measured to calculate the signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and the AM sensitivity. The results show that noise density increases with the gain value. The AM signal increases with both BRF as well as the gain value. SNR increases with BRF while the AM sensitivity is independent on BRF. When the gain is increased from 103 - 105 V/A, SNR increases and reaches a maximum while the AM sensitivity decreases and reaches a minimum value of 0.4 pT/√Hz. However, SNR and the AM sensitivity are almost unchanged for the gain value of 105 - 107 V/A. Therefore, the gain of balanced photodetector in our AM setup should be set sufficiently high, at least 105 V/A.

DOI
10.1088/1742-6596/3042/1/012025

Related papers

Spin-Damping in an Ultra-Sensitive Tunable RF Atomic Magnetometer

Orang Alem

Optically pumped radio frequency (RF) atomic magnetometers have been shown to have an improved sensitivity over standard tuned coils for frequencies less than 50 MHz, making these RF magnetometers attractive for the detection of nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals. In an atomic magnetometer a linearly polarized probe beam measures, through Faraday rotation, the transverse atomic magnetization induced by the resonant RF signal. The resonance, or Larmor, frequency of the magnetometer is easily tuned with a small magnetic field. We construct an atomic magnetometer based on a potassium vapor cell with a measured sensitivity of 0.22 ± 0.02 fT/ √ Hz and a detection bandwidth of 334 ± 11 Hz when tuned to 423 kHz, giving a Q of over 1200. While high Q magnetometers are sensitive to weak magnetic fields, they are also sensitive to magnetic transients, such as those associated with the excitation pulses needed for magnetic resonance. The ringing created by such transients can obscure the signal of interest. This is particularly detrimental for magnetic resonance signals that decay faster than the transverse relaxation rate. We demonstrate that by feeding back part of the optical signal to orthogonal electromagnetic coils, this unwanted ringing can be quickly damped out leaving the magnetometer ready for the detection of the signal. This negative feedback as applied to the K spins is called spin-damping and can be used to relax the K atoms faster by more than two orders of magnitude. Using spin-damping we reduce the dead-time before data acquisition from 0.8 to 0.2 ms in the detection of NQR signals from ammonium nitrate, one of the so-called fertilizer bomb explosives with an NQR frequency of 423 kHz. Furthermore, we discover that spin-damping can not only be used to suppress signals, it can also be used to suppress noise. We show that it can be used to suppress both environmental noise and more fundamental quantum noise, such as photon shot and spin projection noise. The latter suppression opens the door for its use in quantum control to initialize spin systems before measurements. For phase-sensitive detection, as is often used in magnetic resonance, spin-damping suppresses signal and noise in such a way as to increase the sensitivity bandwidth of the magnetometer. We prove, both theoretically and experimentally, that it is possible to increase the magnetometer detection bandwidth by a factor of 3 or more without significant loss in sensitivity. Such gains in bandwidth for a high Q magnetometer translate into savings in detection time, particularly for substance detection where the frequency of the signal of interest may not be completely known.

•Aug 18, 2011•1 citation

Femtotesla Spin-Exchange Relaxation-Free Atomic Magnetometer With a Multipass Cell

Yibo Qi, Bo Li, Shuying Wang +3 more

Miniaturized high-sensitivity atomic magnetometers play a crucial role in biomagnetic measurements. The utilization of multipass cells enhances the sensitivity of atomic magnetometers. This study explores the benefits of employing a multipass cell in spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometers through theoretical and experimental analysis. A signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) model was established by accounting for the optimal detuning frequency of the probe light and low-frequency 1/f noise. This enabled the optimal number of probe light passes through the vapor cell to be determined. Additionally, compact and symmetric reflective optical paths were designed to mitigate polarization gradients in atomic magnetometers with high atomic number density. Experimental results confirmed that the magnetic field sensitivity of the triple-pass configuration (1.8 fT/Hz$^{1/2}$) was 1.89 times that of the single-pass configuration (3.4 fT/Hz$^{1/2}$), consistent with the theoretical analysis. This study provides valuable theoretical guidance for analyzing the SNR performance of SERF atomic magnetometers and demonstrates the potential of multipass cells in enhancing their magnetic field sensitivity. The utilization of multipass cells presents a viable approach toward the realization of highly sensitive and portable miniaturized SERF atomic magnetometers.

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement•Jan 1, 2024•18 citations

Optimization of a Radio-frequency Atomic Magnetometer Toward Very Low Frequency Signal Reception

Hyun Joon Lee, Ye-Jin Yu, Jang‐Yeol Kim +3 more

We describe a single-channel rubidium (Rb) radio-frequency atomic magnetometer (RFAM) as a receiver that takes magnetic signal resonating with Zeeman splitting of the ground state of Rb. We optimize the performance of the RFAM by recording the response signal and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in various parameters and obtain a noise level of 159 fT/Hz around 30 kHz. When a resonant radio-frequency magnetic field with a peak amplitude of 8.0 nT is applied, the bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio are about 650 Hz and 88 dB, respectively. It is a good agreement that RFAM using alkali atoms is suitable for receiving signals in the very low frequency (VLF) carrier band, ranging from 3 kHz to 30 kHz. This study shows the new capabilities of the RFAM in communications applications based on magnetic signals with the VLF carrier band. Such communication can be expected to expand the communication space by overcoming obstacles through the high magnetic sensitive RFAM.

Current Optics and Photonics•Jun 25, 2021•1 citation

The Characterization of Atomic Vapor Cells for High-Sensitivity Magnetic Field Measurements in SERF Regime

Murat Salim Karabinaoğlu, Berfin Muhlise Caklı, Mehmet Hüseyin Sevim

Nowadays, quantum sensor research is a very interesting and popular topic. High-sensitivity magnetic field measurements using quantum sensors have evolved into the most sensitive magnetic field sensor category today with the invention of atomic magnetometers operating in the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime. This letter was prepared to investigate the magnetic field sensitivity changes depending on the buffer gas, temperature, and laser intensity using indigenously produced atomic vapor cells. In addition, the aim was to determine the optimum operating conditions of the atomic magnetometer operating in the SERF regime. As a result, the resonance linewidth and signal-to-noise ratio were measured, and the minimum detectable magnetic field was calculated. According to the obtained results, the lowest magnetic field for Cells I–III was measured as 5.12, 4.21, and 4.81 pT, respectively. The lowest magnetic field of all conditions was obtained in vapor cell (Cell-II) at 100 °C with 5 mW laser intensity. As a result, it has been experimentally proven that under the same conditions, increasing the buffer gas pressure in vapor cells can narrow the resonance linewidth, and the magnetic field sensitivity can be improved by increasing the laser intensity applied to the vapor cells.

IEEE Sensors Letters•Feb 24, 2025•5 citations

Detection of radio-frequency magnetic fields using nonlinear magneto-optical rotation

M. P. Ledbetter, Víctor M. Acosta, Simon Rochester +3 more

We describe a room-temperature alkali-metal atomic magnetometer for detection of small, high-frequency magnetic fields. The magnetometer operates by detecting optical rotation due to the precession of an aligned ground state in the presence of a small oscillating magnetic field. The resonance frequency of the magnetometer can be adjusted to any desired value by tuning the bias magnetic field. Based on experimentally measured signal-to-noise ratio, we demonstrate a sensitivity of $100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{pG}∕\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ (rms) in a $3.5\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{cm}$-diameter paraffin coated cell. Assuming detection at the photon shot-noise limit, we project a sensitivity as low as $25\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{pG}∕\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ (rms).

arXiv:physics/0609196•Physical Review A•Feb 8, 2007•67 citations

Tunable Atomic Magnetometer for Detection of Radio-Frequency Magnetic Fields

Igor Savukov, Scott J. Seltzer, Michael V. Romalis +1 more

We describe an alkali-metal magnetometer for detection of weak magnetic fields in the radio-frequency (rf) range. High sensitivity is achieved by tuning the Zeeman resonance of alkali atoms to the rf frequency and partially suppressing spin-exchange collisions in the alkali-metal vapor. We demonstrate magnetic field sensitivity of 2 fT/Hz(1/2) at a frequency of 99 kHz with a resonance width of 400 Hz. We also derive a simple analytic expression for the fundamental limit on the sensitivity of the rf magnetometer and show that a sensitivity of about 0.01 fT/Hz(1/2) can be achieved in a practical system with a measurement volume of 200 cm3.

Physical Review Letters•Aug 3, 2005•312 citations
Abstract An atomic magnetometer (AM) is very sensitive to magnetic fields and useful in many applications. AM works by optical interrogation of orientation of alkali-atom spins in a vapor cell. Since the sensitivity characterizes the performance of AM, it should be optimized. We investigate the effect of the gain of a balanced photodetector on the sensitivity of an RF atomic magnetometer setup. While the amplitude of RF signal (BRF) varies between 0.1-10 nT, the frequency is fixed at 100 kHz. The gain of the balanced photodetector varies between 103 - 107 V/A. the noise density and AM signal are measured to calculate the signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and the AM sensitivity. The results show that noise density increases with the gain value. The AM signal increases with both BRF as well as the gain value. SNR increases with BRF while the AM sensitivity is independent on BRF. When the gain is increased from 103 - 105 V/A, SNR increases and reaches a maximum while the AM sensitivity decreases and reaches a minimum value of 0.4 pT/√Hz. However, SNR and the AM sensitivity are almost unchanged for the gain value of 105 - 107 V/A. Therefore, the gain of balanced photodetector in our AM setup should be set sufficiently high, at least 105 V/A.
Optically pumped radio frequency (RF) atomic magnetometers have been shown to have an improved sensitivity over standard tuned coils for frequencies less than 50 MHz, making these RF magnetometers attractive for the detection of nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals. In an atomic magnetometer a linearly polarized probe beam measures, through Faraday rotation, the transverse atomic magnetization induced by the resonant RF signal. The resonance, or Larmor, frequency of the magnetometer is easily tuned with a small magnetic field. We construct an atomic magnetometer based on a potassium vapor cell with a measured sensitivity of 0.22 ± 0.02 fT/ √ Hz and a detection bandwidth of 334 ± 11 Hz when tuned to 423 kHz, giving a Q of over 1200. While high Q magnetometers are sensitive to weak magnetic fields, they are also sensitive to magnetic transients, such as those associated with the excitation pulses needed for magnetic resonance. The ringing created by such transients can obscure the signal of interest. This is particularly detrimental for magnetic resonance signals that decay faster than the transverse relaxation rate. We demonstrate that by feeding back part of the optical signal to orthogonal electromagnetic coils, this unwanted ringing can be quickly damped out leaving the magnetometer ready for the detection of the signal. This negative feedback as applied to the K spins is called spin-damping and can be used to relax the K atoms faster by more than two orders of magnitude. Using spin-damping we reduce the dead-time before data acquisition from 0.8 to 0.2 ms in the detection of NQR signals from ammonium nitrate, one of the so-called fertilizer bomb explosives with an NQR frequency of 423 kHz. Furthermore, we discover that spin-damping can not only be used to suppress signals, it can also be used to suppress noise. We show that it can be used to suppress both environmental noise and more fundamental quantum noise, such as photon shot and spin projection noise. The latter suppression opens the door for its use in quantum control to initialize spin systems before measurements. For phase-sensitive detection, as is often used in magnetic resonance, spin-damping suppresses signal and noise in such a way as to increase the sensitivity bandwidth of the magnetometer. We prove, both theoretically and experimentally, that it is possible to increase the magnetometer detection bandwidth by a factor of 3 or more without significant loss in sensitivity. Such gains in bandwidth for a high Q magnetometer translate into savings in detection time, particularly for substance detection where the frequency of the signal of interest may not be completely known.
Miniaturized high-sensitivity atomic magnetometers play a crucial role in biomagnetic measurements. The utilization of multipass cells enhances the sensitivity of atomic magnetometers. This study explores the benefits of employing a multipass cell in spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometers through theoretical and experimental analysis. A signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) model was established by accounting for the optimal detuning frequency of the probe light and low-frequency 1/f noise. This enabled the optimal number of probe light passes through the vapor cell to be determined. Additionally, compact and symmetric reflective optical paths were designed to mitigate polarization gradients in atomic magnetometers with high atomic number density. Experimental results confirmed that the magnetic field sensitivity of the triple-pass configuration (1.8 fT/Hz1/2^{1/2}1/2) was 1.89 times that of the single-pass configuration (3.4 fT/Hz1/2^{1/2}1/2), consistent with the theoretical analysis. This study provides valuable theoretical guidance for analyzing the SNR performance of SERF atomic magnetometers and demonstrates the potential of multipass cells in enhancing their magnetic field sensitivity. The utilization of multipass cells presents a viable approach toward the realization of highly sensitive and portable miniaturized SERF atomic magnetometers.
We describe a single-channel rubidium (Rb) radio-frequency atomic magnetometer (RFAM) as a receiver that takes magnetic signal resonating with Zeeman splitting of the ground state of Rb. We optimize the performance of the RFAM by recording the response signal and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in various parameters and obtain a noise level of 159 fT/Hz around 30 kHz. When a resonant radio-frequency magnetic field with a peak amplitude of 8.0 nT is applied, the bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio are about 650 Hz and 88 dB, respectively. It is a good agreement that RFAM using alkali atoms is suitable for receiving signals in the very low frequency (VLF) carrier band, ranging from 3 kHz to 30 kHz. This study shows the new capabilities of the RFAM in communications applications based on magnetic signals with the VLF carrier band. Such communication can be expected to expand the communication space by overcoming obstacles through the high magnetic sensitive RFAM.
Nowadays, quantum sensor research is a very interesting and popular topic. High-sensitivity magnetic field measurements using quantum sensors have evolved into the most sensitive magnetic field sensor category today with the invention of atomic magnetometers operating in the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime. This letter was prepared to investigate the magnetic field sensitivity changes depending on the buffer gas, temperature, and laser intensity using indigenously produced atomic vapor cells. In addition, the aim was to determine the optimum operating conditions of the atomic magnetometer operating in the SERF regime. As a result, the resonance linewidth and signal-to-noise ratio were measured, and the minimum detectable magnetic field was calculated. According to the obtained results, the lowest magnetic field for Cells I–III was measured as 5.12, 4.21, and 4.81 pT, respectively. The lowest magnetic field of all conditions was obtained in vapor cell (Cell-II) at 100 °C with 5 mW laser intensity. As a result, it has been experimentally proven that under the same conditions, increasing the buffer gas pressure in vapor cells can narrow the resonance linewidth, and the magnetic field sensitivity can be improved by increasing the laser intensity applied to the vapor cells.
We describe a room-temperature alkali-metal atomic magnetometer for detection of small, high-frequency magnetic fields. The magnetometer operates by detecting optical rotation due to the precession of an aligned ground state in the presence of a small oscillating magnetic field. The resonance frequency of the magnetometer can be adjusted to any desired value by tuning the bias magnetic field. Based on experimentally measured signal-to-noise ratio, we demonstrate a sensitivity of 100pG∕Hz100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{pG}∕\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}100pG∕Hz​ (rms) in a $3.5\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{cm}$-diameter paraffin coated cell. Assuming detection at the photon shot-noise limit, we project a sensitivity as low as 25pG∕Hz25\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{pG}∕\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}25pG∕Hz​ (rms).
We describe an alkali-metal magnetometer for detection of weak magnetic fields in the radio-frequency (rf) range. High sensitivity is achieved by tuning the Zeeman resonance of alkali atoms to the rf frequency and partially suppressing spin-exchange collisions in the alkali-metal vapor. We demonstrate magnetic field sensitivity of 2 fT/Hz(1/2) at a frequency of 99 kHz with a resonance width of 400 Hz. We also derive a simple analytic expression for the fundamental limit on the sensitivity of the rf magnetometer and show that a sensitivity of about 0.01 fT/Hz(1/2) can be achieved in a practical system with a measurement volume of 200 cm3.