MAGNETO-OPTIC GRAVITY INDUCED LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL BEGIN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW MAGNETO-ENCEP HALOGRAM (MEG) SENSOR APPLICABLE TO THE DETECTION OF GRAVITY INDUCED LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS (G-LOC) IN FIGHTER PILOTS. OPTRA WILL APPLY SEVERAL RECENTLY DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGIES TO MEASURE THE SMALL FLUCTUATING MAGNETIC FIELDS PRODUCED BY NORMAL AND UNCONSCIOUS BRAIN ACTIVITY. THE NEW MAGNETOMETER USES THE FIELD STRENGTH DEPENDENT FARADAY ROTATION OF AN OPTICAL BEAM AS A TRANSDUCER, AND SINGLEMODE FIBER OPTIC INTERCONNECTIONS TO PRODUCE A COMPACT, ALL DIELECTRIC SENSOR HEAD THAT COULD BE EASILY INCORPORATED INTO A PILOT'S HELMET. BY COMBINING ADVANCED ENGINEERED MATERIALS WITH HIGH VERDET COEFFICIENT, HIGH POWER LASER DIODE SOURCES AND OPTRA'S HIGH RESOLUTION PHASE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES, A SENSOR SYSTEM WITH 10-13T RESOLUTION IS POSSIBLE. THE MEASUREMENT WOULD BE LINEAR OVER 140 DB SO CHANGES IN BACKGROUND MAGNETIC FIELDS WOULD NOT AFFECT THE SENSITIVITY. THE SENSOR COULD BE CONFIGURED IN FIRST AND SECOND ORDER GRADIENT CONFIGURATIONS. THE SENSOR OPERATES AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND REQUIRES NO CRYOGENS AS DOES THE ALTERNATIVE MAGNETIC SENSING TECHNOLOGY (SQUID).