Determination of the polarization of Xe nuclear spin using transverse and longitudinal Rb in-situ magnetometers in NMR co-magnetometers

Abstract

NMR co-magnetometers, as novel atomic sensors, can measure the angular velocity information in inertial measurements by detecting the spin precession of Xe nuclei. The Xe polarization plays a crucial role in the sensing unit of co-magnetometers, as it enhances the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and sensitivity of NMR sensors. Here we elucidated the Rabi dynamics of Xe nuclear spin and demonstrated two methods to determine the Xe polarization based on the classical Bloch equations. By detecting the optical rotation angle signal, we acquired the amplitude and the phase variations information in two methods, respectively. The transverse magnetometer relies on the amplitude of the free induction decay (FID) signal and applies a short pulse to flip the Xe fields into the transverse plane, enabling precise measurements. On the other hand, the longitudinal magnetometer offers an intuitive approach to measuring the demodulated phase variations by capturing the repetitive flips of longitudinal Xe fields. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of both proposed methods, with the aim of enhancing the accuracy and authenticity of nuclear spin polarization measurements for noble gas atoms in atomic sensors.