Performance optimization of a SERF atomic magnetometer based on flat-top light beam

We explore the impact of pumping beams with different transverse intensity profiles on the performance of the spinexchange relaxation-free(SERF) atomic magnetometers(AMs). We conduct experiments comparing the traditional Gaussian optically-pumped AM with that utilizing the flat-top optically-pumped(FTOP) method. Our findings reveal that the FTOP-based approach outperforms the conventional method, exhibiting a larger response, a narrower magnetic resonance linewidth, and a superior low-frequency noise performance. Specifically, the use of FTOP method leads to a 16% enhancement in average sensitivity within 1 Hz–30 Hz frequency range. Our research emphasizes the significance of achieving transverse polarization uniformity in AMs, providing insights for future optimization efforts and sensitivity improvements in miniaturized magnetometers.

A quantum-enhanced magnetometer using a single high-spin nucleus in silicon

Quantum enhanced metrology has the potential to go beyond the standard quantum limit and eventually to the ultimate Heisenberg bound.In particular,quantum probes prepared in nonclassical coherent states have recently been recognized as a useful resource for metrology.Hence,there has been considerable interest in constructing magnetic quantum sensors that combine high resolution and high sensitivity.Here,we explore a nanoscale magnetometer with quantum-enhanced sensitivity,based on 123Sb(I=7/2)nuclear spin doped in silicon,that takes advantage of techniques of spin-squeezing and coherent control.With the optimal squeezed initial state,the magnetic field sensitivity may be expected to approach 6 aT·Hz^(−1/2)·cm^(−3/2) and 603 nT·Hz^(−1/2) at the single-spin level.This magnetic sensor may provide a novel sensitive and high-resolution route to microscopic mapping of magnetic fields as well as other applications.

Response optimization of a three-axis sensitive SERF magnetometer for closed-loop operation

Most triaxial-vectorial magnetic field measurements with spin-exchange relaxation free(SERF)atomic magnetometer(AM)are based on the quasi-steady-state solution of the Bloch equation.However,the responding speed of these methods is greatly limited because the frequency of the modulation signal should be slow enough to ensure the validity of the quasi-steady-state solution.In this work,a new model to describe the response of the three-axis sensitive SERF AM with high modulation frequency is presented and verified.The response of alkali-atomic spin to high-frequency modulation field is further investigated by solving the Bloch equation in a modulation-frequency-dependence manner.This solution is well verified by our experiments and can offer a reference for selection of modulation frequencies.The result shows a potential to achieve a SERF AM operating in a geomagnetic field without heavy aluminum shielding when the modulation frequencies are selected properly.

High-sensitivity closed-loop three-axis atomic magnetometer using two elliptically polarized laser beams

The high-sensitivity three-axis detection of magnetic fields is widely used in various applications.Our study demonstrates an atomic magnetometer detecting vector magnetic field,of which the core components are one glass cell and two elliptically polarized laser beams.The light-intensity noise is suppressed by differential detection technology,so a higher sensitivity is obtained compared with our previous work.The three-axis average sensitivities of the atomic magnetometer simultaneously reached 14 fT/Hz^(1/2)along the x axis,11 f T/Hz^(1/2)along the y axis,and 25 fT/Hz^(1/2)along the z axis.Furthermore,the atomic magnetometer's dynamic range was further improved to 150 n T,and its bandwidth was increased to over 200 Hz using a closed-loop control system.The proposed three-axis atomic magnetometer with a large dynamic range and a wide bandwidth holds great promise for biomagnetic measurement in a more challenging environment.

Spin dynamics of the potassium magnetometer in spin-exchange relaxation free regime

The laser-pumped potassium spin-exchange relaxation free （SERF） magnetometer is the most sensitive detector of magnetic field and has many important applications. We present the experimental results of our potassium SERF magne- tometer. A pump-probe approach is used to identify the unique spin dynamics of the atomic ensemble in the SERF regime. A single channel sensitivity of 8 f.THz-1/2 is achieved with our SERF magnetometer.

Search for topological defect of axionlike model with cesium atomic comagnetometer

Many terrestrial experiments have been designed to detect domain walls composed of axions or axionlike particles(ALPs), which are promising candidates of dark matter. When the domain wall crosses over the Earth, the pseudoscalar field of ALPs could couple to the atomic spins. Such exotic spin-dependent couplings can be searched for by monitoring the transient-in-time change of the atomic spin precession frequency in the presence of a magnetic field. We propose here a single-species cesium atomic comagnetometer, which measures the spin precession frequencies of atoms in different ground-state hyperfine levels, to eliminate the common-mode magnetic-field variations and search for the exotic nonmagnetic couplings solely between protons and ALPs. With the single-species atomic comagnetometer, we experimentally rule out the possibility that the decay constant of the linear pseudoscalar couplings of ALPs to protons is fp■ 3.71 ×107 Ge V. The advanced system has the potential to constrain the constant to be fp■ 10.7 × 109 Ge V, promising to improve astrophysical constraint level by at least one order of magnitude. Our system could provide a sensitive detection method for the global network of optical magnetometers to search for exotic physics.

Miniature quad-channel spin-exchange relaxation-free magnetometer for magnetoencephalography

A miniature quad-channel optically pumped atomic magnetometer(OPM) has been developed based on the spinexchange relaxation-free(SERF) mechanism. With a vapor cell of size 8 mm×8 mm×8 mm, we have incorporated four SERF magnetometer channels, which provides sufficient spatial resolution for magnetoencephalography(MEG). The four channels share the same laser beam for the best cancellation of common mode noise due to laser fluctuations. With gradient measurement, the sensitivities of the four sensors are better than 6 fT/Hz^(1/2), which is also good enough for MEG measurement. The vapor cell is heated to 160℃ by a novel nonmagnetic current-heating structure. Our sensor with high spatial resolution and compact size is particularly suitable for MEG systems.

Mars Orbiter magnetometer of China’s First Mars Mission Tianwen-1

As one of the seven scientific payloads on board the Tianwen-1 orbiter,the Mars Orbiter Magnetometer(MOMAG)will measure the magnetic fields of and surrounding Mars to study its space environment and the interaction with the solar wind.The instrument consists of two identical triaxial fluxgate magnetometer sensors,mounted on a 3.19 meter-long boom with a seperation of about 90 cm.The dual-magnetometers configuration will help eliminate the magnetic field interference generated by the spacecraft platform and payloads.The sensors are controlled by an electric box mounted inside the orbiter.Each magnetometer measures the ambient vector magnetic field over a wide dynamic range(to 10,000 nT per axis)with a resolution of 1.19 pT.Both magnetometers sample the ambient magnetic field at an intrinsic frequency of 128 Hz,but will operate in a model with alternating frequency between 1 and 32 Hz to meet telemetry allocations.

Observing the steady-state visual evoked potentials with a compact quad-channel spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer

We observed the steady-state visually evoked potential(SSVEP) from a healthy subject using a compact quad-channel potassium spin exchange relaxation-free(SERF) optically pumped magnetometer(OPM). To this end, 30 s of data were collected, and SSVEP-related magnetic responses with signal intensity ranging from 150 fT to 300 f T were observed for all four channels. The corresponding signal to noise ratio(SNR) was in the range of 3.5–5.5. We then used different channels to operate the sensor as a gradiometer. In the specific case of detecting SSVEP, we noticed that the short channel separation distance led to a strongly diminished gradiometer signal. Although not optimal for the case of SSVEP detection, this set-up can prove to be highly useful for other magnetoencephalography(MEG) paradigms that require good noise cancellation.Considering its compactness, low cost, and good performance, the K-SERF sensor has great potential for biomagnetic field measurements and brain-computer interfaces(BCI).

Automatic calculation of the magnetometer zero offset using the interplanetary magnetic field based on the Wang-Pan method

The space-borne fluxgate magnetometer(FGM)requires regular in-flight calibration to obtain its zero offset.Recently,Wang GQ and Pan ZH(2021a)developed a new method for the zero offset calibration based on the properties of Alfvén waves.They found that an optimal offset line(OOL)exists in the offset cube for a pure Alfvén wave and that the zero offset can be determined by the intersection of at least two nonparallel OOLs.Because no pure Alfvén waves exist in the interplanetary magnetic field,calculation of the zero offset relies on the selection of highly Alfvénic fluctuation events.Here,we propose an automatic procedure to find highly Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind and calculate the zero offset.This procedure includes three parts:(1)selecting potential Alfvénic fluctuation events,(2)obtaining the OOL,and(3)determining the zero offset.We tested our automatic procedure by applying it to the magnetic field data measured by the FGM onboard the Venus Express.The tests revealed that our automatic procedure was able to achieve results as good as those determined by the Davis-Smith method.One advantage of our procedure is that the selection criteria and the process for selecting the highly Alfvénic fluctuation events are simpler.Our automatic procedure could also be applied to find fluctuation events for the Davis-Smith method.

China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite search coil magnetometerdata and initial results

Four levels of the data from the search coil magnetometer(SCM) onboard the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite(CSES)are defined and described. The data in different levels all contain three components of the waveform and/or spectrum of the induced magnetic field around the orbit in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 20 kHz; these are divided into an ultra-low-frequency band(ULF,10–200 Hz), an extremely low frequency band(ELF, 200–2200 Hz), and a very low frequency band(VLF, 1.8–20 kHz). Examples of data products for Level-2, Level-3, and Level-4 are presented. The initial results obtained in the commission test phase demonstrated that the SCM was in a normal operational status and that the data are of high enough quality to reliably capture most space weather events related to low-frequency geomagnetic disturbances.

Transverse relaxation determination based on light polarization modulation for spin-exchange relaxation free atomic magnetometer

A transverse relaxation determination of spin-exchange relaxation free （SERF） magnetometer based on polarization modulation technique is proposed. Compared with the radio-frequency （RF） excitation and light intensity excitation meth- ods used in SERF magnetometer, the light polarization modulation method has a high stability in low-frequency range, which indicates a more accurate transverse relaxation measurement.

A Quaternion Scaled Unscented Kalman Estimator for Inertial Navigation States Determination Using INS/GPS/Magnetometer Fusion

This Inertial Navigation System (INS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and fluxgate magnetometer technologies have been widely used in a variety of positioning and navigation applications. In this paper, a low cost solid state INS/GPS/Magnetometer integrated navigation system has been developed that incorporates measurements from an Inertial Navigation System (INS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and fluxgate magnetometer (Mag.) to provide a reliable complete navigation solution at a high output rate. The body attitude estimates, especially the heading angle, are fundamental challenges in a navigation system. Therefore targeting accurate attitude estimation is considered a significant contribution to the overall navigation error. A better estimation of the body attitude estimates leads to more accurate position and velocity estimation. For that end, the aim of this research is to exploit the magnetometer and accelerometer data in the attitude estimation technique. In this paper, a Scaled Unscented Kalman Filter (SUKF) based on the quaternion concept is designed for the INS/GPS/Mag integrated navigation system under large attitude error conditions. Simulation and experimental results indicate a satisfactory performance of the newly developed model.

All-Optical Cesium Atomic Magnetometer with High Sensitivity

An all-optical cesium magnetometer with high sensitivity based on absorptive detection is reported.The experiment achieves a polarized rotational spectrum of the probe light which is induced by circular dichroism and a quarter wave plate together.The frequency response of the rotational spectrum is 1.8mrad/Hz at Larmor precession resonance.Analyzing the signal-to-noise ratio from the experimentally observed spectrum,we predict that the magnetic measurement sensitivity of 0.3pT/Hz^(1/2) would be obtained in the responsive range from 20nT to 2000nT.

The Mars orbiter magnetometer of Tianwen-1:in-flight performance and first science results

The Mars Orbiter MAGnetometer(MOMAG)is a scientific instrument onboard the orbiter of China’s first mission for Mars—Tianwen-1.Since November 13,2021,it has been recording magnetic field data from the solar wind to the magnetic pile-up region surrounding Mars.Here we present its in-flight performance and first science results,based on its first one and one-half months’data.Comparing these early MOMAG observations to the magnetic field data in the solar wind from NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN)mission,we report that the MOMAG magnetic field data are at the same level in magnitude,and describe the same magnetic structures with similar variations in three components.We recognize 158 clear bow shock(BS)crossings in these MOMAG data;their locations match well statistically with the modeled average BS.We also identify and compare five pairs of datasets collected when Tianwen-1’s orbiter and the MAVEN probe made simultaneous BS crossings.These BS crossings confirm the global shape of modeled BS,as well as the south-north asymmetry of the Martian BS.Two cases presented in this paper suggest that the BS is probably more dynamic at flank than near the nose.So far,MOMAG performs well,and provides accurate magnetic field vectors.MOMAG is continuously scanning the magnetic field surrounding Mars.Data from MOMAG’s measurements complement data from MAVEN and will undoubt edly advance our understanding of the plasma environment of Mars.

A modified analytical model of the alkali-metal atomic magnetometer employing longitudinal carrier field

Alkali-metal atomic magnetometers employing longitudinal carrier magnetic field have ultrahigh sensitivity to measure transverse magnetic fields and have been applied in a variety of precise-measurement science and technologies.In practice,the magnetometer response is not rigorously proportional to the measured transverse magnetic fields and the existing fundamental analytical model of this magnetometer is effective only when the amplitudes of the measured fields are very small.In this paper,we present a modified analytical model to characterize the practical performance of the magnetometer more definitely.We find out how the longitudinal magnetization of the alkali metal atoms vary with larger transverse fields.The linear-response capacity of the magnetometer is determined by these factors:the amplitude and frequency of the longitudinal carrier field,longitudinal and transverse spin relaxation time of the alkali spins and rotation frequency of the transverse fields.We give a detailed and rigorous theoretical derivation by using the perturbation-iteration method and simulation experiments are conducted to verify the validity and correctness of the proposed modified model.This model can be helpful for measuring larger fields more accurately and configuring a desirable magnetometer with proper linear range.

High contrast atomic magnetometer based on coherent population trapping

We present an experimental and theoretical investigation of the coherent population trapping （CPT） resonance excited on the D1 line of 87Rb atoms by bichromatic linearly polarized laser light. The experimental results show that a lin｜｜lin tran- sition scheme is a promising alternative to the conventional circular-circular transition scheme for an atomic magnetometer. Compared with the circular light transition scheme, linear light accounts for high-contrast transmission resonances, which makes this excitation scheme promising for high-sensitivity magnetometers. We also use linear light and circular light to detect changes of a standard magnetic field, separately.

Chinese Antarctic Magnetometer Chain at the Cusp Latitude

A Chinese Antarctic Magnetometer （CAM） chain from Zhongshan Station （ZHS） to Dome-A （DMA） has been established since February 2009. A regular magnetometer is operated at ZHS, and four low power magnetometers are operated along the interior route from ZHS to DMA in the cusp latitude, extending over a distance of 1260 km. These stations fill an important void in the Antarctic magnetometer network. Furthermore, the CAM chain is magnetically conjugated with the Arctic region reaching from the Svalbard archipelago to Daneborg, on the east coast of Greenland. Conjugate measurements using the Arctic and Antarctic magnetometers provide excellent opportunities to investigate phenomena related to the coupling of the solar wind to the magnetosphere and ionosphere, such as magnetic impulse events, flux transfer events, traveling convection vortices and ultra-low frequency waves.

Six-Degree-of-Freedom Measurement of Plate Anchors in Centrifuge by Magnetometers

The six-degree-of-freedom movement of an offshore plate anchor is essential to evaluate anchor performance.As an emerging technology,magnetometer has shown its potential in measuring the six-degree-of-freedom movement of offshore anchors under 1-g model laboratory tests.The paper presents the feasibility of adopting a magnetometer system in geotechnical centrifuge testing.Interference factors that may affect the measuring accuracy of the magnetometer system are investigated.The results demonstrate that the magnetometer system can accurately catch the anchor movement in the soils with the restrictions of:(1)the model anchor was made with stainless steel;(2)the system was placed at least 30 cm away from the side wall of soil model tank;(3)started the measurement when the artificial acceleration by centrifuge was stable.

Low-T_c direct current superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer-based 36-channel magnetocardiography system in a magnetically shielded room

We constructed a 36-channel magnetocardiography（MCG） system based on low-Tc direct current（DC） superconducting quantum interference device（SQUID） magnetometers operated inside a magnetically shielded room（MSR）. Weakly damped SQUID magnetometers with large Steward–Mc Cumber parameter βc（βc≈ 5）, which could directly connect to the operational amplifier without any additional feedback circuit, were used to simplify the readout electronics. With a flux-to-voltage transfer coefficient V / Φ larger than 420 μV/Φ0, the SQUID magnetometers had a white noise level of about 5.5 f T·Hz-1/2when operated in MSR. 36 sensing magnetometers and 15 reference magnetometers were employed to realize software gradiometer configurations. The coverage area of the 36 sensing magnetometers is 210×210 mm2. MCG measurements with a high signal-to-noise ratio of 40 d B were done successfully using the developed system.