Skip to main content
Log in

Ultra-sensitive magnetometry based on free precession of nuclear spins

  • Atomic Physics
  • Published:
The European Physical Journal D Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We discuss the design and performance of a very sensitive low-field magnetometer based on the detection of free spin precession of gaseous, nuclear polarized 3He or 129Xe samples with a SQUID as magnetic flux detector. The device will be employed to control fluctuating magnetic fields and gradients in a new experiment searching for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron. Furthermore, with the detection of the free precession of co-located 3He/129Xe nuclear spins it can be used as ultra-sensitive probe for non-magnetic spin interactions, since the magnetic dipole interaction (Zeeman-term) drops out. Characteristic spin precession times T2 * of up to 60 h were measured. The achieved signal-to-noise ratio of more than 5000:1 leads to an expected sensitivity level (Cramer-Rao lower bound) of δB≈1 fT after an integration time of 220 s and of δB≈10-4 fT after one day. By means of a co-located 3He/129Xe magnetometer, noise sources inherent in the magnetometer could be investigated, showing that CRLB is fulfilled, at least down to δB≈10-2 fT. The reason for such a high sensitivity is that free precessing 3He (129Xe) nuclear spins are almost completely decoupled from the environment. Therefore, this type of magnetometer is particularly attractive for precision field measurements where long-term stability is required.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • SQUID sensors, Fundamentals, Fabrication and Applications, edited by H. Weinstock (Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, 1996)

  • E.B. Aleksandrov, M.V. Balabas, A.K. Vershovskii, A.S. Pazgalev, Tech. Phys. 49, 779 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Budker, D.F. Kimball, S.M. Rochester, V.V. Yashchuk, M. Zolotorev, Phys. Rev. A 62, 043403 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Groeger, G. Bison, J.L. Schenker, R. Wynands, A. Weis, Eur. Phys. J. D 38, 239 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • I.K. Kominis, T.W. Kornack, J.C. Allred, M.V. Romalis, Nature 422, 596 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Cohen-Tannoudji, J. DuPont-Roc, S. Haroche, F. Laloë, Phys. Rev. Lett. 22, 758 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • S.M. Kay, Fundamentals of Statistical Signal Processing: Estimation Theory (Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1993), Vol. I

  • J. Allred, R. Lyman, T. Kornack, M.V. Romalis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 130801 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  • J.A. Barnes et al., IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas. 20, 105 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • O. Moreau, B. Cheron, H. Gilles, J. Hamel, E. Noël, J. Phys. III France 7, 99 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Gilles, Y. Monfort, J. Hamel, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 74, 4515 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Tastevin, S. Grot, E. Courtade, S. Bordais, P.-J. Nacher, Appl. Phys. B 78, 145 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Zhu, I.C. Ruset, F.W. Hersman, Opt. Lett. 30, 1342 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Wolf, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Mainz, 2004

  • Ya.S. Greenberg, Rev. Mod. Phys. 70, 175 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Drung, Physica C 368, 134 (2002)

  • W. Kilian, A. Haller, F. Seifert, D. Grosenick, H. Rinneberg, Eur. Phys. J. D 42, 197 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Burghoff, S. Hartwig, W. Kilian, A. Vorwerk, L. Trahms, IEEE Trans. App. Supercon. 17, 846 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • C.P. Slichter, Principles of Magnetic Resonance, 3rd edn. (Springer, Berlin, 1996)

  • G.D. Cates, S.R. Schaefer, W. Happer, Phys. Rev. A 37, 2877 (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  • D.D. McGregor, Phys. Rev. A 41, 2631 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Barbé, M. Leduc, F. Laloë, J. Phys. France 35, 935 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • S.N. Erné, H.D. Hahlbohm, H. Scheer, Z. Trontelj, The Berlin Magnetically Shielded Room - Performances, in Biomagnetism, edited by S.N. Erné, H.D. Hahlbohm, H. Lübbig (Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, 1981), p. 79

  • J. Bork, H.-D. Hahlbohm, R. Klein, A. Schnabel, Proc. Biomag 2000, 970 (2000)

  • F. Thiel, A. Schnabel, S. Knappe-Grüneberg, D. Stollfuß, M. Burghoff, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 78, 035106 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Drung, Supercond. Sci. Technol. 16, 1320 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  • L.D. Schearer, F.D. Colegrove, G.K. Walters, Phys. Rev. Lett. 10, 108 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Schnabel, M. Burghoff, S. Hartwig, F. Petsche, U. Steinhoff, D. Drung, H. Koch, Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology 2004, 70 (2004)

  • M. Burghoff, A. Schnabel, D. Drung, F. Thiel, S. Knappe-Grüneberg, S. Hartwig, O. Kosch, L. Trahms, H. Koch, Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology 67 (2004)

  • W. Kilian, Ph.D. thesis, Freie Universität Berlin, 2001; www.diss.fu-berlin.de

  • J. Schmiedeskamp, W. Heil, E.W. Otten, R.K. Kremer, A. Simon, J. Zimmer, Eur. Phys. J. D 38, 427 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Deninger, W. Heil, E.W. Otten, M. Wolf, R.K. Kremer, A. Simon, Eur. Phys. J. D 38, 439 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Schmiedeskamp, H.-J. Elmers, W. Heil, E.W. Otten, Yu. Sobolev, W. Kilian, H. Rinneberg, T. Sander-Thömmes, F. Seifert, J. Zimmer, Eur. Phys. J. D 38, 445 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • N.P. Bigelow, P.J. Nacher, M. Leduc, J. Phys. II 2, 2159 (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  • V.W. Hughes, H.G. Robinson, V. Beltran-Lopez, Phys. Rev. Lett. 4, 342 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • J.D. Prestage, J.J. Bollinger, W.M. Itano, D.J. Wineland, Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 2387 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • S.K. Lamoreaux, J.P. Jacobs, B.R. Heckel, F.J. Raab, E.N. Fortson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 3125 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • T.E. Chupp, R.J. Hoare, R.A. Loveman, E.R. Oteiza, J.M. Richardson, M.E. Wagshul, Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 1541 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  • C.J. Berglund, L.R. Hunter, D. Krause, E.O. Prigge, M.S. Ronfeldt, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1879 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  • M.A. Rosenberry, T.E. Chupp, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 22 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  • M.V. Romalis, W.C. Griffith, J.P. Jacobs, E.N. Fortson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 2505 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  • L.R. Hunter et al., in CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, edited by V.A. Kostelecky (World Scientific, Singapore, 1999)

  • V.A. Kostelecky, Ch.D. Lane, Phys. Rev. D 60, 116010 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Bear, Ch.D. Lane, V.A. Kostelecky, R.E. Stoner, R.L. Walsworth, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 5038 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  • B. Chann, I.A. Nelson, L.W. Anderson, B. Driehuys, T.G. Walker, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 113201 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  • R.W. Mair, P.N. Sen, M.D. Hurlimann, S. Patz, D.G. Cory, R.L. Walsworth, J. Magn. Res. 156, 202 (2002) and references therein

  • R.H. Acosta, L. Agulles-Pedrós, S. Komin, D. Sebastiani, H.W. Spiess, P. Blümler, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 8, 4182 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • K.C. Hasson, G.D. Cates, K. Lerman, P. Bogorad, W. Happer, Phys. Rev. A 41, 3672 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  • International Council for Science: Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA), www.codata.org, 2007

  • M. Pfeffer, O. Lutz, J. Magn. Res. A 108, 106 (1994)

  • N.F. Ramsey, Phys. Rev. 100, 1191 (1955),

    Google Scholar 

  • I.I. Rabi, N.F. Ramsey, J. Schwinger, Rev. Mod. Phys. 26, 167 (1954)

    Google Scholar 

  • F. Bloch, A. Siegert, Phys. Rev. 57, 522 (1940)

    Google Scholar 

  • F. Riehle, Frequency Standards (Wiley-VCH, 2004)

  • P. Lesage, C. Audoin, IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas. 22, 157 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Neutron EDM Collaboration at PSI; http://nedm.web.psi.ch/index.htm

  • K. Green et al., Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A 404, 381 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Pendlebury et al., Phys. Rev. A 70, 032102 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Lamoreaux, R. Golub, Phys. Rev. A 71, 032104 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • N.F. Ramsey, Acta. Phys. Hungar. 55, 117 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • N.F. Ramsey, Molecular Beams (Oxford University Press, 1956)

  • I.S. Altarev et al., Phys. Atom. Nucl. 59, 1152 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  • J.E. Moody, F. Wilczek, Phys. Rev. D 30, 130 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • G.D. Cates et al., Phys. Rev. A 38, 5092 (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Raftery et al., J. Phys. Chem. 97, 1649 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  • E.R. Hunt, H.Y. Carr, Phys. Rev. 130, 2302 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • C.J. Jameson, A.K. Jameson, H. Parker, J. Chem. Phys. 68, 8 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to W. Heil.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gemmel, C., Heil, W., Karpuk, S. et al. Ultra-sensitive magnetometry based on free precession of nuclear spins. Eur. Phys. J. D 57, 303–320 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2010-00044-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2010-00044-5

Keywords

Navigation