SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Precisely tuned electromagnetic fields can manipulate particles with electric charges and are used to achieve good beam characteristics in particle accelerators. Continuous monitoring and determination of magnetic fields in beam lines are crucial. The major technical issue with current magnetic-field probes is the limited operation lifetime in high-radiation environments. Commonly used nuclear magnetic resonance probes tend to have lifetime of less than several weeks, limiting operational efficiency and increasing cost of operation. The development of a radiation-hard magnetic fieldprobe offering prolonged operation over ~ 1 year is highly desirable. Hedgefog Research Inc. (HFR) is developing a Radiation Hardened Opto-atomic Magnetometer (RHOM) for magnetic-field sensing applications in high-radiation environments. This solution is a new approach to magnetometry that offers intrinsic radiation hardness guaranteed by design. The RHOM probe modules are built with radiation-hardened components, thereby offering a long, uninterrupted magnetic field sensing operation. HFR assembled and tested a compact probe prototype and confirmed that it can provide field measurement meeting the technical requirements of the application at high-energy target facilities. HFR established a data-acquisition and signal-processing scheme, which enables determination of the local magnetic flux density at the probe via comparison of experimental data with quantum- mechanical simulation results. HFR also performed radiation hardness testing of optical fiber in neutron-rich environments, which allows us to project operation lifetime of RHOM. Finally, HFR developed system design and down-selected system components for a RHOM prototype to be constructed in the next phase of the development. With the completion of the full technical feasibility demonstration achieved in Phase II, HFR plans to continue system integration, packaging, and software development in Phase IIA. HFR will construct and test an integrated prototype, which will include fully assembled probe and laser/control modules and allow fully automated magnetic-field sensing. HFR will also test the radiation hardness of the entire sensor module. The Phase IIA development will position HFR for technology transition and productization. Many high-radiation environments, including nuclear fusion reactors, accelerators, military/space applications, and high-energy physics laboratories, require magnetic-field sensors with long operation lifetime. A radiation-hard magnetic-field probe offering prolonged operation can replace the older sensors that limit operational efficiencies due to the short lifetime and suffer from catastrophic failures above device-specific damage thresholds, leading to abrupt interruption of the operation. The new solution will benefit users from many disciplines with direct commercial applications, including nuclear medicine and materials science.
