A bell-bloom atomic magnetic-videorecorder with global shutter and differential readout

Area of Science:

• Atomic physics
• Magnetometry
• Optical imaging

Background:

• Traditional optical-pumping systems for magnetic recording face limitations in spatial resolution, imaging speed, and shooting modes.
• These limitations hinder the real-time recording of dynamic magnetic phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an advanced atomic magnetic video recorder for high-resolution, high-speed, real-time magnetic field recording.
• To overcome the constraints of traditional optical-pumping systems for dynamic magnetic phenomena.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 684-pixel Bell-Bloom atomic magnetic video recorder with a global shutter and 2D differential readout.
• Employed free Larmor precession of Cesium (Cs) atoms for local magnetic information inference.
• Integrated a high-speed dual-quadrant CMOS sensor with microlens focusing and a digital micro-mirror device (DMD).

Main Results:

• Achieved an average sensitivity of 194 pT/√Hz @0.5-178 Hz.
• Demonstrated a high spatial resolution of 137 μm² and a frame rate of 205 fps.
• Successfully measured magnetic distributions from a moving source, showing good agreement with simulations.

Conclusions:

• The developed Bell-Bloom atomic magnetic video recorder enables real-time recording of changing magnetic fields with unprecedented resolution and speed.
• This non-cryogenic, non-contact methodology offers a significant advancement for magnetic source identification and failure reproduction.
• The system's performance validates its potential for capturing dynamic magnetic phenomena previously unrecordable.