A compact and closed-loop spin-exchange relaxation-free atomic magnetometer for wearable magnetoencephalography

Abstract Atomic magnetometers operated in the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime are the promising sensor to replace superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) in the biomagnetism field. The SERF magnetometer with compact size and good performance is crucial to the new generation of wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. In this paper, we developed a compact and closed-loop SERF magnetometer with the dimensions of 15.0 × 22.0 × 30.0 mm 3 based on a single-beam configuration. The bandwidth of the magnetometer was extended to 675 Hz while the sensitivity was maintained at 22 fT/Hz 1/2 . A nearly 3- fold enhancement of the bandwidth was obtained in comparison with the open-loop control. The implementation of closed-loop control also greatly improved the dynamic range, enabling the magnetometer to be robust against the disturbance of the ambient field. Moreover, the magnetometer was successfully applied for the detection of human α -rhythm and auditory evoked fields (AEFs), which demonstrated the potential to be extended to multi-channel MEG measurements for future neuroscience studies.