Evaluation of the Polatomic P-2000 laser pumped He-4 magnetometer/gradiometer

Polatomic, Inc. has developed a He-4 electron-spin resonance (ESR) magnetometer/gradiometer, the Polatomic 2000 (P-2000), for anti-submarine warfare. The P-2000 features a laser in place of an incoherent light source for optical pumping in order to increase sensitivity, and a magnetometer/gradiometer configuration to provide more target information than possible with a magnetometer alone. In this paper, the sensor´s configuration, the experimental setup and the test procedures are described. Results presenting spectral gradient sensitivity are reported for the experiments conducted. Predictions to estimate detection range obtained from matched-filter calculations are also included.