A Compact Single-Beam Optically Pumped Magnetometer Based on Absorption Detection
Abstract
We demonstrate a compact single-beam optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) employing a pure 87Rb microfabricated vapor cell with 500 Torr buffer gas. The residual magnetic field is actively minimized to below 400 pT through a combination of mu-metal magnetic shielding and internal compensation coils. We systematically characterize the OPM response as a function of laser detuning and optical intensity, and derive the magnetic-field sensitivity from the signal slope and noise amplitude spectral density. A best sensitivity of 11 fT/Hz^1/2 is achieved near the resonance transition at an optimal optical intensity, using a small cell volume of only 0.027 cm^3. Furthermore, a miniaturized OPM prototype was developed using a folded flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) to integrate the vapor cell, a compact heater, and magnetic-field coils into a cubic sensing head. Two coil configurations patterned directly on the FPCB were investigated. Under optimized operating conditions, the OPM prototype achieved a sensitivity of 66 fT/Hz^1/2. These results demonstrate that high-buffer-pressure single-beam OPMs can achieve excellent sensitivity, establishing a pathway toward compact and scalable arrays.
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BibTeX
@misc{liou2026compact,
title = {{A Compact Single-Beam Optically Pumped Magnetometer Based on Absorption Detection}},
author = {Jia-You Liou and Yi-Hsuan Chen and Hsiang-An Chuang and Chih-Hsuan Huang and Zong-Hsin Liu and I-Chiao Tsai and Kai-Hsin Peng and Yi-Hsin Chen},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.32795},
eprint = {2610.32795},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.32795},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A Compact Single-Beam Optically Pumped Magnetometer Based on Absorption Detection
AU - Jia-You Liou
AU - Yi-Hsuan Chen
AU - Hsiang-An Chuang
AU - Chih-Hsuan Huang
AU - Zong-Hsin Liu
AU - I-Chiao Tsai
AU - Kai-Hsin Peng
AU - Yi-Hsin Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.32795
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.32795
AB - We demonstrate a compact single-beam optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) employing a pure 87Rb microfabricated vapor cell with 500 Torr buffer gas. The residual magnetic field is actively minimized to below 400 pT through a combination of mu-metal magnetic shielding and internal compensation coils. We systematically characterize the OPM response as a function of laser detuning and optical intensity, and derive the magnetic-field sensitivity from the signal slope and noise amplitude spectral density. A best sensitivity of 11 fT/Hz^1/2 is achieved near the resonance transition at an optimal optical intensity, using a small cell volume of only 0.027 cm^3. Furthermore, a miniaturized OPM prototype was developed using a folded flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) to integrate the vapor cell, a compact heater, and magnetic-field coils into a cubic sensing head. Two coil configurations patterned directly on the FPCB were investigated. Under optimized operating conditions, the OPM prototype achieved a sensitivity of 66 fT/Hz^1/2. These results demonstrate that high-buffer-pressure single-beam OPMs can achieve excellent sensitivity, establishing a pathway toward compact and scalable arrays.
ER -