Chip-scale atomic magnetometer with improved sensitivity by use of the Mx technique

Abstract

The fabrication and performance of a miniature optically pumped atomic magnetometer constructed with microfabricated components are discussed. This device measures the spin precession frequency of Rb87 atoms to determine the magnetic field by use of the Mx technique. It has a demonstrated sensitivity to magnetic fields of 5 pT Hz12 for a bandwidth from 1 to 100 Hz, nearly an order of magnitude improvement over our previous chip-scale magnetometer. The 3 dB bandwidth has also been increased to 1 kHz by reconfiguring the miniature vapor cell heater. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.