All-optical magnetometry for NMR detection in a micro-Tesla field and unshielded environment

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates an all-optical atomic magnetometer capable of detecting NMR signals in unshielded, low-field environments, enabling remote analysis of proton precession in water samples.

Contribution

It introduces a room-temperature, unshielded all-optical magnetometer with dual-channel sensing for NMR detection in micro-Tesla fields.

Findings

Successful detection of proton free-precession signals in unshielded environments.

Operation at room temperature with remote analysis capability.

Use of non-adiabatic rotation and $ ext{π/2}$ pulses for nuclear spin manipulation.

Abstract

An all-optical atomic magnetometer is used to detect a proton free-precession signal from a water sample polarized in a 0.7 T field and remotely analyzed in a 4 $\mu T$ field. Nuclear spins are manipulated either by $\pi/2$ pulses or by non-adiabatic rotation. The magnetometer operates at room temperature, in an unshielded environment and has a dual-channel sensor for differential measurements.