Magnetic induction imaging with optical atomic magnetometers: towards applications to screening and surveillance

Luca Marmugi; Sarah Hussain; Cameron Deans; Ferruccio Renzoni

doi:10.1117/12.2195482

21 October 2015 Magnetic induction imaging with optical atomic magnetometers: towards applications to screening and surveillance

Luca Marmugi, Sarah Hussain, Cameron Deans, Ferruccio Renzoni

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9652, Optics and Photonics for Counterterrorism, Crime Fighting, and Defence XI; and Optical Materials and Biomaterials in Security and Defence Systems Technology XII; 965209 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2195482
Event: SPIE Security + Defence, 2015, Toulouse, France

Abstract

We propose a new approach, based on optical atomic magnetometers and magnetic induction tomography (MIT), for remote and non-invasive detection of conductive targets. Atomic magnetometers overcome the main limitations of conventional MIT instrumentation, in particular their poor low-frequency sensitivity, their large size and their limited scalability. Moreover, atomic magnetometers have been proven to reach extremely high sensitivities, with an improvement of up to 7 orders of magnitude in the 50 MHz to DC band, with respect to a standard pick-up coil of the same size. In the present scheme, an oscillating magnetic field induces eddy currents in a conductive target and laser-pumped atomic magnetometers, either stand-alone or in an array, detect the response of the objects. A phase-sensitive detection scheme rejects the background, allowing remote detection of the secondary field and, thus, mapping of objects, hidden in cargos, underwater or underground. The potential for extreme sensitivity, miniaturization, dynamic range and array operation paves the way to a new generation of non-invasive, active detectors for surveillance, as well as for real-time cargo screening.

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Luca Marmugi, Sarah Hussain, Cameron Deans, and Ferruccio Renzoni "Magnetic induction imaging with optical atomic magnetometers: towards applications to screening and surveillance", Proc. SPIE 9652, Optics and Photonics for Counterterrorism, Crime Fighting, and Defence XI; and Optical Materials and Biomaterials in Security and Defence Systems Technology XII, 965209 (21 October 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2195482

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