Miniature atomic magnetometer integrated with flux concentrators

Abstract

High permeability magnetic flux concentrators are used to enhance the sensitivity of an atomic magnetometer operating in the spin-exchange relaxation-free regime. The magnetometer uses a millimeter scale Rb87 vapor cell and either mu-metal or Mn–Zn ferrite flux concentrators. The measured sensitivity gives excellent agreement with calculations of thermal noise from the concentrator material. The mu-metal concentrators allow a sensitivity of 50fTHz−1∕2, limited by thermal current magnetic noise. The ferrite concentrators are limited by thermal magnetization noise at low frequencies, and reach a sensitivity of 10fTHz−1∕2 for frequencies above 125Hz.