Spherical fused silica cells filled with pure helium for nuclear magnetic resonance-magnetometry
High magnetic fields (>1 T) are measured by NMR magnetometers with unrivaled precision if the precessing spin sample provides long coherence times. The longest coherence times are found in diluted {sup 3}He samples, which can be hyperpolarized for sufficient signal strength. In order to have minimal influence on the homogeneity and value of the measured magnetic field, the optimal container for the {sup 3}He should be a perfect sphere. A fused silica sphere with an inner diameter of 8 mm and an outer diameter of 12 mm was made from two hemispheres by diffusion bonding leaving only a small hole for cleaning and evacuation. This hole was closed in vacuum by a CO{sub 2} laser and the inner volume was filled with a few mbars of {sup 3}He via wall permeation. NMR-measurements on such a sample had coherence times of 5 min. While the hemispheres were produced with <1 μm deviation from sphericity, the bonding left a step of ca. 50 μm at maximum. The influence of such a mismatch, its orientation, and the immediate environment of the sample is analyzed by FEM-simulations and discussed in view of coherence times and absolute field measurements.