SOUTHWEST SCIENCES INC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: S1

Description

<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in">This Phase I SBIR project will investigate the feasibility of a miniature atomic magnetometer, both as a stable scalar device for calibrating fluxgate magnetometers in flight and also as a vector device capable of complimenting fluxgate magnetometers. Missions to Europa will seek to confirm that moon&rsquo;s underground sea by measuring Europa&rsquo;s effect on Jupiter&rsquo;s magnetic field. &nbsp;&nbsp;Meeting this science goal requires a very stable magnetometer. The helium vector-scalar magnetometer is a mature technology for this requirement, but recent work has shown that alkali vapor magnetometers can provide the needed stability with better SWAP. The proposed magnetometer is based on atomic alignment, which has high sensitivity and inherently less heading error. Also proposed is a way to operate the magnetometer that allows it to provide both vector and scalar information. Finally, the Phase I research will test the radiation hardness of the vapor cell and polarization optics. These are key components of the magnetometer that are not commonly used for other instruments, and therefore radiation data is not available for them.</p>