HEDGEFOG RESEARCH INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: 30f

Description

Precisely tuned electromagnetic fields are used to enable the operation and achieve needed beam characteristics in particle accelerators. Thus, accurate measurement of local magnetic fields is crucial. The major issue with current magnetic-field probes is their limited operation lifetime in high-radiation environments. Therefore, development of a radiation-hard magnetic field probe offering prolonged operation over ~ 1 year is highly desirable. Hedgefog Research Inc. (HFR) is developing a Radiation Hardened Opto-atomic Magnetometer (RHOM) for magnetic-field sensing applications in high-radiation environments. RHOM is a new approach to magnetometry that offers intrinsic radiation hardening by design. The RHOM probe modules will enable long, uninterrupted magnetic field sensing operation. HFR has developed and fabricated a prototype with all key functionalities of RHOM. With the prototype, HFR has demonstrated RHOM’s capability to measure local magnetic fields accurately (precision: 4x10-5 ~ 2x10-6). Being an SI-traceable measurement technique, RHOM provides a self-referencing capability and requires no external calibration source. We identified radiation-hardened probe components for the targeted operational environment with neutron- rich radiation and expect that RHOM will offer a prolonged operation in harsh radiation environments. With all major aspects of the system’s technical feasibility demonstrated in Phase I, HFR plans to invest most of the Phase II resources in making the system compact and ruggedized for deployment to test sites and commercialization. HFR will conduct on-site testing with the support of experts in accelerator research, fully demonstrating the device precision and radiation hardness in a representative environment. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Many high-radiation environments, including nuclear fusion reactors, accelerators, military/space applications, and high-energy physics laboratories, require reliable magnetic-field sensing solutions that offer prolonged operation lifetime. In these mission-critical applications, current magnetic-field sensors significantly limit operational efficiencies due to the short device lifetime and/or the periodic calibration requirement. They also suffer from catastrophic failures above device-specific damage thresholds, leading to abrupt interruption of the operation. A radiation-hard magnetic-field probe offering prolonged operation will specifically address these needs and will have strong potential to replace the older sensors, finding use in numerous applications worldwide. In addition, by enhancing the production/operation efficiency of rare isotope beam facilities and accelerators, the new probe solution will benefit users from many disciplines with direct commercial applications, including nuclear medicine and materials science.