Characterization of laser-pumped Cs-4He atomic magnetometer

Abstract

Abstract In principle, laser-pumped Cs–4He magnetometers can take advantage of the high sensitivity of optically pumped magnetometers and the high accuracy of proton magnetometers. However, insufficient experimental studies have been conducted on the optimization conditions and physics of this type of magnetometer. In this study, we investigate the experimental performance of a laser-pumped Cs–4He magnetometer by optimizing the sensitivity of the excitation pulse settings. We report some dependence relationships that have not been previously reported. The optimal settings under the obtainable experimental conditions in our lab are 34 °C for temperature, 10  μ s for pulse duration, and 67 V and 2.2 V for high- and low-level voltages, respectively, which provide a sensitivity of 26  p T / H z within a frequency of 0.08–0.2 Hz. This study provides a solid reference for further improving the Cs–4He magnetometer, offers the possibility of measuring physical constants more accurately, and provides a deeper understanding of plasma interaction processes.