Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026
11:10
Atomic Layer Deposition of Vanadium Dioxide and a Temperature-dependent Optical Model
Published on: May 23, 2018
12.5K
Sub-picotesla widely tunable atomic magnetometer operating at room-temperature in unshielded environments
Cameron Deans1, Luca Marmugi1, Ferruccio Renzoni1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|September 7, 2018
Summary
This study presents a sensitive rubidium radio-frequency atomic magnetometer for unshielded environments. It offers broad bandwidth operation and enhanced spatial resolution for diverse magnetic field applications.
Area of Science:
- Atomic physics
- Magnetometry
- Sensor technology
Background:
- Atomic magnetometers offer high sensitivity for magnetic field measurements.
- Operation in unshielded environments and near room temperature presents significant challenges.
- Existing devices often require magnetic shielding and controlled temperatures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a rubidium radio-frequency atomic magnetometer for unshielded environments.
- To demonstrate its sensitivity, operational bandwidth, and noise reduction capabilities.
- To explore its potential for extended field applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a single-channel rubidium radio-frequency atomic magnetometer.
- Implemented a feedback-controlled compensation coil system for magnetic field stabilization.
- Operated the device near room temperature without magnetic shielding.
Main Results:
- Achieved a sensitivity of 130 fT/.
- Demonstrated consistent operation across the kHz-MHz band for three orders of magnetic field amplitude.
- Reduced 50 Hz noise contribution by an order of magnitude.
- Small effective sensor volume (57 mm3) enhances spatial resolution.
Conclusions:
- The developed atomic magnetometer is suitable for unshielded environments and near room temperature operation.
- Its broad tunability, low beam power, and enhanced spatial resolution expand potential applications.
- The device offers a robust solution for magnetic field sensing in diverse conditions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Atomic Spectroscopy: Effects of Temperature
919
Atomization, converting samples into gas-phase atoms and ions, is essential for atomic spectroscopy. The flame temperature required for atomization affects the efficiency of the atomic spectroscopic methods by increasing the atomization efficiency and the relative population of the excited and ground states.
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature...
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature...
919
01:33Atomic Structure
210.1K
Overview
210.1K
01:52Atomic Mass
70.3K
Atoms — and the protons, neutrons, and electrons that compose them — are extremely small. For example, a carbon atom weighs less than 2 × 10−23 g. When describing the properties of tiny objects such as atoms, we use appropriately small units of measure, such as the atomic mass unit (amu). The amu was originally defined based on hydrogen, the lightest element, then later in terms of oxygen. Since 1961, it has been defined with regard to the most abundant isotope of carbon, atoms of which...
70.3K
02:44Atomic Orbitals
44.1K
An atomic orbital represents the three-dimensional regions in an atom where an electron has the highest probability to reside. The radial distribution function indicates the total probability of finding an electron within the thin shell at a distance r from the nucleus. The atomic orbitals have distinct shapes which are determined by l, the angular momentum quantum number. The orbitals are often drawn with a boundary surface, enclosing densest regions of the cloud.
44.1K
02:45The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
58.1K
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra.
58.1K
03:24Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I
67.6K
The mathematical expression known as the wave function, ψ, contains information about each orbital and the wavelike properties of electrons in an isolated atom. When atoms are bound together in a molecule, the wave functions combine to produce new mathematical descriptions that have different shapes. This process of combining the wave functions for atomic orbitals is called hybridization and is mathematically accomplished by the linear combination of atomic orbitals. The new orbitals that...
67.6K