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arXiv:physics/0609041 · Review of Scientific Instruments

Robust, high-speed, all-optical atomic magnetometer

J. M. Higbie, E. Corsini, D. Budker

Published Nov 1, 2006• 58 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A self-oscillating magnetometer based on the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation effect with separate modulated pump and unmodulated probe beams is demonstrated. This device possesses a bandwidth exceeding 1kHz. Pump and probe are delivered by optical fiber, facilitating miniaturization and modularization. The magnetometer has been operated both with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, which are well suited to portable applications, and with conventional edge-emitting diode lasers. A sensitivity of around 3nG is achieved for a measurement time of 1s.

DOI
10.1063/1.2370597

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Robust, High-speed, All-Optical Atomic Magnetometer

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A self-oscillating magnetometer based on the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation effect with separate modulated pump and unmodulated probe beams is demonstrated. This device possesses a bandwidth exceeding $1\\khz$. Pump and probe are delivered by optical fiber, facilitating miniaturization and modularization. The magnetometer has been operated both with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), which are well suited to portable applications, and with conventional edge-emitting diode lasers. A sensitivity of around $3 {\\rm nG}$ is achieved for a measurement time of $1\\s$.

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arXiv:0812.1160•Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Apr 3, 2009•30 citations
A self-oscillating magnetometer based on the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation effect with separate modulated pump and unmodulated probe beams is demonstrated. This device possesses a bandwidth exceeding 1kHz. Pump and probe are delivered by optical fiber, facilitating miniaturization and modularization. The magnetometer has been operated both with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, which are well suited to portable applications, and with conventional edge-emitting diode lasers. A sensitivity of around 3nG is achieved for a measurement time of 1s.
A self-oscillating magnetometer based on the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation effect with separate modulated pump and unmodulated probe beams is demonstrated. This device possesses a bandwidth exceeding 1khz1\\khz1khz. Pump and probe are delivered by optical fiber, facilitating miniaturization and modularization. The magnetometer has been operated both with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), which are well suited to portable applications, and with conventional edge-emitting diode lasers. A sensitivity of around 3rmnG3 {\\rm nG}3rmnG is achieved for a measurement time of 1s1\\s1s.
A self-oscillating magnetometer based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation using amplitude-modulated pump light and unmodulated probe light (AM-NMOR) in 87Rb has been constructed and tested towards a goal of airborne detection of magnetic anomalies. In AM-NMOR, stroboscopic optical pumping via amplitude modulation of the pump beam creates alignment of the ground electronic state of the rubidium atoms. The Larmor precession causes an ac rotation of the polarization of a separate probe beam; the polarization rotation frequency provides a measure of the magnetic field. An anti-relaxation coating on the walls of the atomic vapor cell results in a long lifetime of 56 ms for the alignment, which enables precise measurement of the precession frequency. Light is delivered to the magnetometer by polarization-maintaining optical fibers. Tests of the sensitivity include directly measuring the beat frequency between the magnetometer and a commercial instrument and measurements of Earth's field under magnetically quiet conditions, indicating a sensitivity of at least 5 pT/νHz. Rotating the sensor indicates a heading error of less than 1 nT, limited in part by residual magnetism of the sensor.
Atomic magnetometers with magnetic field modulation have emerged as pivotal sensors for biomagnetic measurements. However, challenges such as crosstalk between adjacent modulation fields and the complexity of signal circuitry become increasingly serious in the development of array-based equipment with the magnetometers, especially in the miniaturized atomic magnetometer. This paper proposes an all-optical, fully integrated fiber-coupled atomic magnetometer that employs pump beam modulation. A miniaturized atomic magnetometer with a volume of 10 cm³ has been designed, incorporating an active measurement area of 3 × 3 × 3 mm3. The magnetometer operates in the spinexchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime with an 87Rb vapor cell. An amplitude-modulated pump beam directly modulates the rubidium atomic ensembles, rather than the magnetic field modulation. The optical rotation angle is detected by an unmodulated probe beam oriented orthogonally to the pump beam. In light of the discontinuous pumping characteristics, we developed a modified theoretical model to clarify the output response of the proposed atomic magnetometer. The experimental results demonstrate that the new design achieves the same sensitivity as conventional magnetometer configurations with a smaller volume and without crosstalk of the magnetic field. This research highlights the significant potential for advancing the development of highly sensitive, miniaturized atomic magnetometers, making them particularly suitable for applications in magnetocardiography (MCG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Here we demonstrate an atomic magnetometer that has a bandwidth of more than 100 kHz and a sensitivity of $180\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{fT/}\ensuremath{\surd}\mathrm{Hz}$ at a Fourier frequency of 8 Hz, and $0.7\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nT/}\ensuremath{\surd}\mathrm{Hz}$ at 100 kHz. These sensitivity measurements are achieved at geophysically useful magnetic field magnitudes (approximately $50\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{T}$ inside a three-layer $\ensuremath{\mu}$-metal shield) and are limited by the photon shot noise for frequencies above 8 Hz. This device is based on a nonlinear magneto-optical rotation sensor that is operated with an active feedback to the pump modulation frequency. We present a theoretical description of the response functions of the components in the magnetometer. We show that the range of operation of atomic magnetometers can thus be expanded beyond the conventional high-sensitivity, low-bandwidth domain, to provide a high-linearity, high-bandwidth, and high-sensitivity sensor.
We report on a two-channel magnetometer based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation in a Cs glass cell with buffer gas. The Cs atoms are optically pumped and probed by free running diode lasers tuned to the D2 line. A wide frequency modulation of the pump laser is used to produce both synchronous Zeeman optical pumping and hyperfine repumping. The magnetometer works in an unshielded environment, and a spurious signal from distant magnetic sources is rejected by means of differential measurement. In this regime the magnetometer simultaneously gives the magnetic field modulus and the field difference. Rejection of the common-mode noise allows for high-resolution magnetometry with a sensitivity of 2 pT/sqrt Hz. This sensitivity, in conjunction with long-term stability and a large bandwidth, makes it possible to detect water proton magnetization and its free induction decay in a measurement volume of 5 cm3.