Skip to main content
Log in

Abstract.

We discuss the design and performance of a laser-pumped cesium vapor magnetometer in the Mx configuration. The device will be employed in the control and stabilization of fluctuating magnetic fields and gradients in a new experiment searching for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron. We have determined the intrinsic sensitivity of the device to be 15 fT in a 1 Hz bandwidth, limited by technical laser noise. In the shot noise limit the magnetometer can reach a sensitivity of 10 fT in a 1 Hz bandwidth. We have used the device to study the fluctuations of a stable magnetic field in a multi-layer magnetic shield for integration times in the range of 2–100 seconds. The residual fluctuations for times up to a few minutes are traced back to the instability of the power supply used to generate the field.

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.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Y. Zhang, Y. Tavrin, H.J. Krause, H. Bousack, A.I.B. Ai, U. Kalberkamp, U. Matzander, M. Burghoff, L. Trahms, Appl. Supercond. 3, 367 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H. Becker, Archaeol. Prosp. 2, 217 (1995)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Magnetism in Medicine, edited by W. Andrä, H. Nowak (Wiley-VCH, Berlin, 1998)

  • I.S. Altarev, Y.V. Borisov, N.V. Borovikova, A.I. Egorov, S.N. Ivanov, E.A. Kolomensky, M.S. Lasakov, V.M. Lobashev, V.A. Nazarenko, A.N. Pirozhkov, et al., Phys. At. Nucl. 59, 1152 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  • URL http://ucn.web.psi.ch/ (2005)

  • A.L. Bloom, Appl. Opt. 1, 61 (1962)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • E.B. Aleksandrov, M.V. Balabas, A.K. Vershovskii, A.E. Ivanov, N.N. Yakobson, V.L. Velichanskii, N.V. Senkov, Opt. Spectrosc. 78, 325 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  • E.B. Aleksandrov, Sov. Phys. Tech. Phys. 35, 371 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

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

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • G. Bison, R. Wynands, A. Weis, Appl. Phys. B 76, 325 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • G. Bison, R. Wynands, A. Weis, Opt. Expr. 11, 904 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • V.V. Yashchuk, D. Budker, J.R. Davis, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 71, 341 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • N. Beverini, P. Minguzzi, F. Strumia, Phys. Rev. A 4, 550 (1971)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • E.B. Alexandrov, M.V. Balabas, D. Budker, D. English, D.F. Kimball, C.-H. Li, V.V. Yashchuk, Phys. Rev. A 66, 042903 (2002)

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • G. Bison et al., to be published

  • J. Barnes, A. R. Chi, L. Cutler, D. Healey, D. Leeson, T. McGunigal, J. Mullen Jr, W. Smith, R. Sydnor, et al., IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas. 20, 105 (1971)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C. Cohen-Tannoudji, Ann. Phys. 7, 423 (1962)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Weis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Groeger, S., Bison, G., Schenker, JL. et al. A high-sensitivity laser-pumped Mx magnetometer. Eur. Phys. J. D 38, 239–247 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2006-00037-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2006-00037-y

PACS.

Navigation