Frequency shift compensation for single and dual laser beam pass sensors of a coherent population trapping resonance based coupled dark state magnetometer

Abstract

The Coupled Dark State Magnetometer is an atomic magnetometer designed for magnetic field measurements in space. Its measurement principle is based on the excitation of coupled dark state resonances prepared via the coherent population trapping effect. The coupled dark state resonances enable the compensation of disturbing frequency shifts which degrade the measurement accuracy. Results with a sensor design based on a single laser beam pass through the sensor unit reveal a reduced ability to compensate these disturbing effects compared to theoretical predictions. Therefore, a new sensor design is presented which enables a dual laser beam pass through the sensor unit. For almost all angles between the external magnetic field and the light propagation direction, the dual pass sensor design enables a better compensation of disturbing frequency shifts than the single pass sensor design - up to a factor of nine.