Femtotesla Magnetic Field Measurement with Magnetoresistive Sensors

Abstract

The measurement of magnetic fields in the femtotesla (fT, 10 –15 tesla) range is important for applications such as magnetometry, quantum computing, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and magnetoencephalography. The only sensors capable of detecting these very small fields have been based on low-temperature superconducting quantum interference devices operating at 4.2 kelvin. We present a magnetic field sensor that combines a superconducting flux-to-field transformer with a low-noise giant magnetoresistive sensor. The sensor can be operated up to 77 kelvin. Our small-size prototype provides the capability of measuring 32 fT.