Real-time vector field tracking with a cold-atom magnetometer

• DOI: 10.1063/1.4803684
• Publication Date: 2013-05-02T02:20:11Z
• Authors: N. Behbood; F. Martin Ciurana; G. Colangelo; M. Napolitano; M. W. Mitchell; R. J. Sewell
• Keywords: Quantum Physics; Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph); 0103 physical sciences; FOS: Physical sciences; Quantum Physics (quant-ph); 01 natural sciences; Physics - Atomic Physics

We demonstrate a fast three-axis optical magnetometer using cold, optically trapped 87Rb gas as a sensor. By near-resonant Faraday rotation we record the free-induction decay of a spin polarized ensemble following optical to obtain the three field components and one gradient component. A single measurement achieves shot-noise limited sub-nT sensitivity in 1 ms, with transverse spatial resolution of ∼20 μm. We make a detailed analysis of the shot-noise-limited sensitivity.