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DOE OSTI · 22482572

A three-axis SQUID-based absolute vector magnetometer

Schönau, T.·Schmelz, M.·Stolz, R.·Anders, S.·Linzen, S.·Meyer, H. -G.·Zakosarenko, V.·Meyer, M.
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Abstract

We report on the development of a three-axis absolute vector magnetometer suited for mobile operation in the Earth’s magnetic field. It is based on low critical temperature dc superconducting quantum interference devices (LTS dc SQUIDs) with sub-micrometer sized cross-type Josephson junctions and exhibits a white noise level of about 10 fT/Hz{sup 1/2}. The width of superconducting strip lines is restricted to less than 6 μm in order to avoid flux trapping during cool-down in magnetically unshielded environment. The long-term stability of the flux-to-voltage transfer coefficients of the SQUID electronics is investigated in detail and a method is presented to significantly increase their reproducibility. We further demonstrate the long-term operation of the setup in a magnetic field varying by about 200 μT amplitude without the need for recalibration.

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46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYAMPLITUDESCRITICAL TEMPERATUREELECTRIC POTENTIALJOSEPHSON JUNCTIONSMAGNETIC FIELDSMAGNETOMETERSNOISEOPERATIONSQUID DEVICESSTABILITY

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Schönau, T., Schmelz, M., Stolz, R., Anders, S., Linzen, S., Meyer, H. -G., Zakosarenko, V., Meyer, M.. 2015-10-15. A three-axis SQUID-based absolute vector magnetometer. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4933386

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