FIBER OPTIC MAGNETOMETER WITH 10 TO THE -12 TESLA/DIVIDED BY HZ DETECTION CAPABILITY

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH SENSITIVITY POLARIMETRIC FIBER OPTIC MAGNETOMETER CAPABLE OF DETECTING LOW-FREQUENCY MAGNETIC FIELDS OF 10 (-12) TESLA/DIV BY HZ IS PROPOSED. THE PHASE I RESEARCH EFFORT IS PRIMARY DIRECTED TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FIBER OPTIC MAGNETOELASTIC TRANSDUCER, OF SUFFICIENT SENSITIVITY, WHICH CONVERTS THE SIGNAL MAGNETIC FIELD TO A STRAIN AND TRANSFERS THE STRAIN TO THE CORE OF THE OPTICAL FIBER. THE NOVEL TRANSDUCER DESIGN CONSISTS OF A MAGNETOSTRICTIVE AMORPHOUS METAL RIBBON CONFIGURATED IN A THIN SHELL GEOMETRY AROUND WHICH IS WOUND A SPECIALIZED SELF-ORIENTING HIGHBIREFRINGENCE FIBER. FIELD-INDUCED STRAINS IN THE MAGNETOSTRICTIVE THIN-SHELL ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE CORE OF THE OPTICAL FIBER AND INDUCE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE FIBER BIREFRINGENCE. THESE BIREFRINGENCE FLUCTUATIONS ARE SUBSEQUENTLY CONVERTED TO A SIGNAL VOLTAGE BY THE FIBER OPTIC POLARIMETRIC INTERFEROMETER AND THE PHOTODETECTOR. THE PHASE I RESEARCH EFFORT IS SPECIFICALLY DIRECTED TOWARD THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE FIBER OPTIC MAGNETOELASTIC TRANSDUCER. A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THE PHASE I RESEARCH EFFORT WILL BE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FIBER OPTIC MAGNETOELASTIC TRANSDUCER WHOSE MAGNETIC FIELD SENSITIVITY IS CONDUCTIVE TO THE DETECTION OF LOW FREQUENCY MAGNETIC FIELDS OF 10 (-12) TESLA/ DIV BY HZ.