Characterization of polarimetric based three axis atomic magnetometer

TL;DR

This paper studies a polarimetric three-axis atomic magnetometer's operation, analyzing its sensitivity, cross talk, and phase shifts, demonstrating its suitability for space applications due to its compact size and high sensitivity.

Contribution

It provides a detailed characterization of a polarimetric three-axis atomic magnetometer, including sensitivity analysis and cross talk, with implications for space-based magnetic field measurements.

Findings

Sensitivity < 10 pT/√Hz at 400 mHz in all directions

Cross talk among axes analyzed using Lissajous plots

Suitable for space applications due to compact size

Abstract

The operation of polarimetric based single beam three axis atomic magnetometer is studied. The magnetometer operates in presence of small bias magnetic field. Its salient features are compared with the analysis of Bloch equation. The sensitivity of the device along three orthogonal directions are measured in low frequency regime, where 1/f noise adversely affect the sensitivity. The cross talk among the three axes magnetic field measurements and relative phase shifts are analysed using Lissajous plot. The sensitivity of the magnetometer is found to be < 10 pT/sqrt(Hz) @400 mHz in any direction. The investigated magnetometer is suitable for space application, where overall size of the device is of prime importance.