MagTec
Quantum Magnetometers

MagTec is a research team working in Ioffe Phys.-Tech. Institute (Russian Academy of Science) and S.I.Vavilov State Optical Institute, St.-Petersburg, Russia, specializing on ultra-precise quantum magnetometers. Though under this name it exists since 1992, our group posses the huge experience going back to 60-es when the project of a zero-field magnetometer (known now as "Hanle magnetometer") was suggested by the today's team scientific leader Prof. E.B.Alexandrov, member of the Russian Academy of Science. By now we have already designed at least five new types of quantum magnetometer of unique features.


Our Potassium Narrow Line Magnetometers combine the highest resolution (better than 1pT/Hz½ !) with very high base line stability (better than 0.1 nT) and fast (0.1 s) response. Being completely computerized, these devices are able to work with phase error suppressed down to 0.1nT in magnetic fields from 15,000 to 100,000nT with an accuracy of 0.1nT and tilt error as small as 0.03nT. These magnetometers are commercially available through the institutes listed above.



The HFS Magnetometer (the magnetometer using microwave transitions in Hyper-Fine Structure of the ground state of alkaline atoms) is expected to become the most perfect tool in aeromagnetic prospecting. It is the only instrument which is basically free from any restriction concerning its orientation in the magnetic field: it is inherently free from any tilt errors and "dead zones". These unique features are realized in a single-cell configuration while the only known by now approach to solving the problem bases on combination of several differently oriented units.


Potassium Vector Magnetometer combines the resolution of the quantum magnetometer with the possibility of continous measurement of transverse field components (inclination and declination) variations with 10pT accuracy. It was designed in co-operation with Jean Rasson (Institute Royal Meteorological, Centre de Physique du Globe, Dourbes, Belgium).


Cesium Vector Magnetometer-Variometer is more compact and robust device than Potassium one. Still, it allows to continously measure the variations of three orthogonal field components with resolution about 15pT and sample rate as high as 10 samples/sec. These magnetometers are commercially available through the institutes listed above.



Multi-Photon Magnetometers are to be the devices of the nearest future. Now the magnetometers based on 4-radiophoton transition are being developed in our company; and we expect them to be really the new advanced generation of the magnetometric devices...


Each particular task related to a magnetic field measurement needs its own approach. We are experienced in many applications of the quantum magnetometers and we can help you to make the best choice among existing instruments or develope the new one.
Thank you!


All the presented results were published in scientific journals and conferences:

Brief list of publications

  1. Download article E.B.Aleksandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovskii, A.E.Ivanov, N.N.Yakobson, V.L.Velichanskii, N.V.Senkov. Laser pumping in the scheme of Mx-magnetometer. Optics & Spectrosc. (USA), v.78, no.2, p.292-298 (1995).

  2. Download article E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.S.Pazgalev, A.K.Vershovskii, N.N.Yakobson. Double-resonance atomic magnetometers: from gas discharge to laser pumping.-Laser Physics, v.6, no.2, p.244-251. (1996).

  3. E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovskii, A.I.Okunevich, N.N.Yakobson. Spin-exchange broadening of magnetic-resonance line of potassium atoms. - Optics & Spectrosc. (USA), v.87, no.3, p.329-334 (1999).

  4. Download article E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovskii, A.S.Pazgalev. Multi-quantum radio-spectroscopy of atoms as applied to geomagnetic fields metrology (In Russian).-J.Tech.Phys, v.69, no.9, pp.27-30 (1999).

  5. Download article E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovskii, and A.S.Pazgalev. A new model of quantum magnetometer: a single cell Cs-K tandem based on four-quantum resonance in 39K.- Tech. Phys. V.45 (7), pp.931-936 (2000).

  6. Download article A.K.Vershovski, A.S.Pazgalev, and E.B.Aleksandrov. The Design of a Lambda-HFS Magnetometer.-Tech. Phys. V.45, p.88 (2000).

  7. Download article E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, V.N.Kulyasov, A.E.Ivanov, A.S.Pazgalev, J.L.Rasson, A.K.Vershovski and N.N.Yakobson. Three-component variometer based on a scalar potassium sensor.-Meas. Sci. Technol. Vol.15, pp.918-922 (2004).

  8. Download article Download article E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovski, and A.S.Pazgalev. Experimental Demonstration of the Sensitivity of an Optically Pumped Quantum Magnetometer.-Tech. Phys., Vol. 49, No. 6, pp. 779-783 (2004).

  9. Download article Download article A.K.Vershovskii and E.B.Aleksandrov.-Phase Error Elimination in the Mx-Magnetometer and Controlling the Resonance Line Shape in an Unstable Field Using the Spin Precession Signal Invariant Mapping Technique.-Optics & Spectrosc., Vol.100, No.1, pp.12-14 (2006).

  10. Download article Download article A.K.Vershovskii.The new method of absolute measurement of three magnetic field components based on using of scalar optically pumped MX-magnetometer.-Optics & Spectrosc., Vol.101, No.2, pp.309-316 (2006)

  11. Download article Download article E. B. Aleksandrov, A. K. Vershovski, and A. S. Pazgalev, – Magnetometer based on a pair of symmetric transitions in the 87Rb hyperfine structure, – Technical Physics, v.51, no.7, pp. 919-923 (2006)

  12. Download article Download article A. K. Vershovski and A. S. Pazgalev, – Optically pumped quantum MX magnetometers: Digital measurement of the MX resonance frequency in a rapidly varying field, – Technical Physics, v.51, n.7, pp. 924–928 (2006)

  13. Download article A.K.Vershovskii, M.V.Balabas, A.E.Ivanov, V.N.Kulyasov, A.S.Pazgalev, and E.B.Aleksandrov. Fast 3-Component Variometer Based On A Cesium Sensor.- Publs. Inst. Geophys. Pol. Acad. 2007, C-99 (398)

  14. Download article A.Vershovskiy. Project Of Absolute Three-Component Vector Magnetometer Based On Quantum Scalar Sensor.- Publs. Inst. Geophys. Pol. Acad. 2007, C-99 (398).

  15. Download article Download article A. K. Vershovski and A. S. Pazgalev. - Optimization of Quality Factor of Optically Pumped Mx-resonance.- Technical Physics, 2008, v.78, No.5, pp. 116-124.


    16. PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIUMS
     
  16. E.B.Aleksandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovskii, A.S.Pazgalev, N.N.Yakobson. Double-resonance based atomic magnetometers: from lamp to laser pumping (In Russian). Proc. Int. Symp. on Modern Problems of Laser Physics MPLP'95, Novosibirsk (Russia), 1995.

  17. E.B.Aleksandrov, A.K.Vershovskii, M.V.Balabas, N.N.Yakobson. Potassium laser pumped scalar magnetometer of highest performance.- Proc. IUGG congress, Boulder (Colorado, USA), 1995, p.86

  18. E.B.Aleksandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovskii, A.S.Pazgalev, N.N.Yakobson. Optically pumped potassium Mx-magnetometer of highest performance. - Proc. Internat. Conf. on Marine Electromagnetics, 23-26 June 1997,London (UK), p.8.

  19. E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, V.N.Kulyasov, A.E.Ivanov, A.S.Pazgalev, A.K.Vershovskii. Three-component Variometer Based on a Scalar Potassium Sensor. - Proc. IAGA 97 (International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy), Uppsala, 8th Scientific Assembly of IAGA with ISMA and STP Symposia. Stockholm (Sweden), 1997.

  20. E.B.Alexandrov, M.V.Balabas, A.K.Vershovskii. A new tandem magnetometer based on Potassium-39 4-quantum transition.- Proc.on IUGG99 - 22nd General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, Birmingham, UK, July 18-30, 1999

  21. Download article A. Vershovskiy, M. Balabas, A. Ivanov, V. Kulyasov, A. Pazgalev, E. Alexandrov. Fast 3-Component Variometer Based On A Cesium Sensor. - Proc. XIIth IAGA (International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy) Workshop On Geomagnetical Instruments, Data Acquisition and Processing, Belsk, Poland, June 19-24 2006, p.25.

  22. Download article A. Vershovskiy. Project Of Absolute Three-Component Vector Magnetometer Based On Quantum Scalar Sensor. - Proc. XIIth IAGA (International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy) Workshop On Geomagnetical Instruments, Data Acquisition and Processing, Belsk, Poland, June 19-24 2006, p.44-45.