All-optical isotropic scalar ⁴He magnetometer based on atomic alignment

Area of Science:

• Atomic physics
• Quantum optics
• Magnetometry

Background:

• Scalar magnetometers are crucial for various applications, but often suffer from dead zones or complex optical setups.
• Existing optical magnetometers may require multiple optical accesses or exhibit performance limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and experimentally validate a novel helium scalar magnetometer.
• To demonstrate an all-optical implementation with no dead angles.
• To present a triple resonance scheme for improved magnetometer performance.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a triple resonance scheme with parallel propagating, amplitude-modulated optical pumping and light-shift beams.
• Employing a single optical access to the atomic cell for simplified implementation.
• Developing a theoretical model to predict magnetometer behavior.

Main Results:

• Experimental results show strong agreement with the developed theoretical model.
• The proposed magnetometer design successfully operates without dead angles.
• The all-optical implementation simplifies the experimental setup.

Conclusions:

• The triple resonance helium scalar magnetometer offers a promising solution for high-performance magnetic field sensing.
• The demonstrated all-optical approach with single-access simplifies practical implementation.
• Further analysis of error sources will optimize magnetometer accuracy for specific applications.