MULTI-FUNCTION FIBER OPTIC MAGNETOMETER/GRADIOMETER

A HIGH SENSITIVITY MULTI-FUNTION MAGNETIC SENSOR SYSTEM BASED ON THE PROVEN CONCEPT OF A FIBER-OPTIC INTERFEROMETRICMAGNETIC TRANSDUCER IS PROPOSED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF PLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS AND OTHER SPACECRAFT APPLICATIONS.FIBER-OPTIC MAGNETIC FIELD TRANSDUCERS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE HIGH SENSITIVITY, VERY LARGE DYNAMIC RANGE, AND LARGE BANDWIDTH SUITABLE FOR SPACECRAFT MISSIONS. A NOVEL SENSOR DESIGN IS PROPOSED THAT WILL PERMIT A RANGE OF VECTOR AND TOTAL MAGNETIC FIELD AND FIELD GRADIENT MEASUREMENTS WITH A SINGLE INSTRUMENT. DURING PHASE I, DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY WILL BUILD AND TEST A LABORATORY FIBER MAGNETIC SENSOR TO ASSESS SENSOR SENSITIVITY, MULTI-FUNCTION CAPABILITIES AND ENGINEERING ISSUES RELATED TO SPACECRAFT APPLICATIONS. A PRELIMINARY PROTOTYPE DESIGN WILL BE PREPARED BASED ON THE LABORATORY DATA TO DEMONSTRATE THE DESIGN FEASIBILITY AND ESTABLISH REQUIREMENTS FOR PHASE II PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT.