Remote Magnetometry with Resonantly Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (REMPI) Readout

Remotely detected magnetometry using atmospheric Xe-129 was proposed in 1989, but it has not been considered viable for experimental demonstration, partially due to a low predicted signal-to-noise ratio. A recent demonstration of Resonance Enhanced Multi-Photon Ionization (REMPI) in air raises the possibility of an enhanced readout of a Xe-129 based atmospheric magnetometer by detecting radar scattering from a REMPI-induced plasma. This proposal seeks to establish the feasibility of and identify an optimized scheme for this technique using theoretical investigations and accurate numerical modeling. A recently developed software library for modeling laser guide stars will be extended with the necessary capabilities, in particular, simulation of ionization, plasma kinetics, and microwave scattering, for modeling radar REMPI with atmospheric Xe-129.