Putting a Spin on Light and Atoms
BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 17, 2010 — Magnetometers, which measure magnetic fields, come in many shapes and sizes. An ordinary handheld compass is the simplest. Among the most sensitive, however, are alkali-vapor magnetometers, which use light and atoms to sense magnetic fields. Now researchers have made this device even more sensitive by maintaining the spin polarization of atoms for more than 60 seconds at room temperature. This is an improvement of two orders of magnitude over the best previous performance.
In a vapor-cell...