A highly stable atomic vector magnetometer based on free spin precession

TL;DR

This paper introduces a highly stable atomic vector magnetometer using optically pumped Cs atoms, capable of precise measurements of magnetic field magnitude and direction with exceptional resolution over extended periods.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel magnetometer design optimized for long-term stability and high-resolution measurements of magnetic fields using free spin precession of Cs atoms.

Findings

Scalar resolution better than 300 fT for 80 ms to 1000 s

Achieved scalar resolution below 80 fT for 1.6 to 6 s

Measured magnetic field direction with better than 10 μrad resolution from 10 s to 2000 s

Abstract

We present a magnetometer based on optically pumped Cs atoms that measures the magnitude and direction of a 1 $\mu$T magnetic field. Multiple circularly polarized laser beams were used to probe the free spin precession of the Cs atoms. The design was optimized for long-time stability and achieves a scalar resolution better than 300 fT for integration times ranging from 80 ms to 1000 s. The best scalar resolution of less than 80 fT was reached with integration times of 1.6 to 6 s. We were able to measure the magnetic field direction with a resolution better than 10 $\mu$rad for integration times from 10 s up to 2000 s.