Magnetically Shielded Room Research Articles

Non-uniform dynamic magnetic field compensation for a lightweight magnetically shielded room based on distributed differential coils

Abstract Due to the influence of material characteristics and engineering imperfections, the residual magnetic fields including static and dynamic field in a lightweight magnetically shielded room (MSR) present non-uniform distribution characteristic. To effectively reduce the residual static field, a non-uniform field compensation method based on distributed coils has been proposed. This method takes the L2-norm of the magnetic field at the target array points as the objective function, to optimize the compensation current in each of the designed distributed coils, achieving non-uniform field compensation. To further achieve compensation for non-uniform residual dynamic field, a closed-loop control system containing a voltage divider and multi-channel amplifiers is designed in this paper. Additionally, the coil constant of the distributed differential coils and the initial magnetic field distribution vector for dynamic compensation are redefined. In conjunction with a PI controller, dynamic compensation is achieved using a single optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) as the feedback component. The experimental results indicate that the average dynamic field decreased from 376.75 pT to 27.80 pT over the central volume of (300 mm)³ in MSR, achieving a near-zero magnetic environment. This method has universal applicability for compensating non-uniform residual field under different working conditions.

Feasibility of magnetomyography with optically pumped magnetometers in a mobile magnetic shield

While magnetomyography (MMG) using optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) is a promising method for non-invasive investigation of the neuromuscular system, it has almost exclusively been performed in magnetically shielded rooms (MSRs) to date. MSRs provide extraordinary conditions for biomagnetic measurements but limit the widespread adoption of measurement methods due to high costs and extensive infrastructure. In this work, we address this issue by exploring the feasibility of mobile OPM-MMG in a setup of commercially available components. From field mapping and simulations, we find that the employed zero-field OPM can operate within a large region of the mobile shield, beyond which residual magnetic fields and perturbations become increasingly intolerable. Moreover, with digital filtering and moderate averaging a signal quality comparable to that in a heavily shielded MSR is attained. These findings facilitate practical and cost-effective implementations of OPM-MMG systems in clinical practice and research.

Dynamic Field Nulling Method for Magnetically Shielded Room Based on Padé Approximation and Generalized Active Disturbance Rejection Control

Magnetically shielded rooms (MSRs) provide a near-zero field environment for magnetoencephalography (MEG) research. Due to the high cost of high-permeability materials and the weak shielding capability against low-frequency magnetic disturbance, it is necessary to further design active compensation coils combined with a closed-loop control system to achieve dynamic nulling of environmental magnetic disturbance. To enhance the performance of the dynamic nulling system, this paper proposes a novel controller design method based on Padé approximation and generalized active disturbance rejection control (GADRC). First, a precise closed-loop model of the dynamic nulling system is established. On this basis, the delay element of the optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) is approximated using the Padé approximation method, and the controller is designed within the GADRC framework. The system’s stability and disturbance suppression capability are analyzed using frequency-domain methods. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, simulations and experiments are conducted, achieving a shielding factor greater than 40 dB at 0.1 Hz. After filtering out power frequency interference, the peak-to-peak field fluctuation is reduced from 320.3 pT to 1.8 pT.

A novel 3D magnetic circuit method for calculating shielding factors of rectangular magnetically shielded rooms

Rectangular magnetically shielded rooms (MSRs) are favored for their construction simplicity and efficient space usage. However, current rectangular MSRs lack an effective shielding factor (SF) theoretical system due to their inherent asymmetric geometry and process defects such as door gap. Therefore, an effective three-dimensional (3D) magnetic circuit method for calculating the SF of rectangular MSRs is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the theoretical model for the 3D magnetic circuit of rectangular MSRs is established, and the SF in three directions is derived. Secondly, the theoretical model is modified by introducing demagnetization factors to further improve the calculation accuracy of the SF based on the magnetization theory. Finally, formula systems for the SF considering door gap are derived, and their effect is also analyzed. To validate the proposed method, two rectangular MSRs with distinct structures are tested using a constructed experimental platform. The results show that the discrepancy between the calculated SF and the tested SF is less than 7%, affirming the efficacy of the proposed methodology. This method can be applied to rectangular MSRs of different sizes, and provide a valuable theoretical guidance for the construction of MSRs.

The SF and remanence evaluation of magnetic shields based on SST for low-frequency and degaussing situation

As the dominant shielding functional material, the permalloy sheet primarily determines the static and low-frequency shielding performances of magnetically shielded room (MSR). However, the lack of measurement of shielding sheets for practical use would lead to a non-negligible evaluation error in MSR performance. Therefore, an estimation technique of shielding factor (SF) and the remanence of MSR is proposed in this paper while considering the nonlinear magnetic characteristics of the permalloy sheet tested by a single sheet tester for low-frequency field and degaussing situation (L-D-SST). First, a high-accuracy measurement system, comprising L-D-SST (for exciting magnetic field and sensing the corresponding B and H) and the control system (for applying excitation to L-D-SST and amplifying, filtering, and collecting B and H signals), is established. Weak magnetic fields at low frequencies and decaying alternating demagnetizing field excitations are separately applied to the L-D-SST for basic magnetization curves (BM curves) and an anhysteretic magnetization curve (AM curve) tests. Furthermore, the BM and AM curves are respectively integrated with the FEM algorithm for accurate and reliable estimations of the SF and remanence of MSR in an operational state. In addition, the tested magnetic properties are applied for the optimization of MSR shielding quality.

A user-friendly visual brain-computer interface based on high-frequency steady-state visual evoked fields recorded by OPM-MEG

Objective. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) shares a comparable time resolution with electroencephalography. However, MEG excels in spatial resolution, enabling it to capture even the subtlest and weakest brain signals for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Leveraging MEG’s capabilities, specifically with optically pumped magnetometers (OPM-MEG), proves to be a promising avenue for advancing MEG-BCIs, owing to its exceptional sensitivity and portability. This study harnesses the power of high-frequency steady-state visual evoked fields (SSVEFs) to build an MEG-BCI system that is flickering-imperceptible, user-friendly, and highly accurate. Approach. We have constructed a nine-command BCI that operates on high-frequency SSVEF (58–62 Hz with a 0.5 Hz interval) stimulation. We achieved this by placing the light source inside and outside the magnetic shielding room, ensuring compliance with non-magnetic and visual stimulus presentation requirements. Five participants took part in offline experiments, during which we collected six-channel multi-dimensional MEG signals along both the vertical (Z-axis) and tangential (Y-axis) components. Our approach leveraged the ensemble task-related component analysis algorithm for SSVEF identification and system performance evaluation. Main Results. The offline average accuracy of our proposed system reached an impressive 92.98% when considering multi-dimensional conjoint analysis using data from both the Z and Y axes. Our method achieved a theoretical average information transfer rate (ITR) of 58.36 bits min−1 with a data length of 0.7 s, and the highest individual ITR reached an impressive 63.75 bits min−1. Significance. This study marks the first exploration of high-frequency SSVEF-BCI based on OPM-MEG. These results underscore the potential and feasibility of MEG in detecting subtle brain signals, offering both theoretical insights and practical value in advancing the development and application of MEG in BCI systems.

Measuring Human Auditory Evoked Fields with a Flexible Multi-Channel OPM-Based MEG System.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive imaging technique for directly measuring the external magnetic field generated from synchronously activated pyramidal neurons in the brain. The optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) is known for its less expensive, non-cryogenic, movable and user-friendly custom-design provides the potential for a change in functional neuroimaging based on MEG. An array of OPMs covering the opposite sides of a subject's head is placed inside a magnetically shielded room (MSR) and responses evoked from the auditory cortices are measured. High signal-to-noise ratio auditory evoked response fields (AEFs) were detected by a wearable OPM-MEG system in a MSR, for which a flexible helmet was specially designed to minimize the sensor-to-head distance, along with a set of bi-planar coils developed for background field and gradient nulling. Neuronal current sources activated in AEF experiments were localized and the auditory cortices showed the highest activities. Performance of the hybrid optically pumped magnetometer-magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography (OPM-MEG/EEG) system was also assessed. The multi-channel OPM-MEG system performs well in a custom built MSR equipped with bi-planar coils and detects human AEFs with a flexible helmet. Moreover, the similarities and differences of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) and AEFs are discussed, while the operation of OPM-MEG sensors in conjunction with EEG electrodes provides an encouraging combination for the exploration of hybrid OPM-MEG/EEG systems.

Magnetic field-to-voltage coefficient evaluation of axial SQUID gradiometer in unshielded environment

Due to the existence of earth magnetic field, it is difficult to detect weak magnetic field from some parts of the body like heart, muscle, nerve and so on. In addition to the requirement for high-sensitivity magnetic field sensors, it is also essential to take certain measures to suppress noise. The axial gradiometer based on low-Tc Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) can achieve a noise suppression ratio of 30 dB through the spatial gradient difference of the magnetic field, but the calibration of the magnetic field-to-voltage coefficient (B-V coefficient) generally requires a magnetically shielded room (MSR), which is complex and costly. With finite element simulation and practical experiments, a calibration method for B-V coefficient of the axial hardware gradiometer without shielding was presented in this paper. That is, a larger calibration field was generated for coefficient evaluation in an unshielded environment. At the same time, when the test signal was far away, the spatial gradient difference was used to improve the authenticity of the evaluation results. Through simulation and experimental verification, for the same performance and configuration of the gradiometer, the calibration result was 1.6 nT/V with 0.1 nT/V difference from that in a shielding room. The results showed that the unshielded evaluation method proposed in this paper was practical and could be used to evaluate the B-V coefficient of gradiometer.

Dynamic stabilisation of magnetic fields measured inside a magnetically shielded room using an external coil system *

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) system based on optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) requires a magnetically shielded room (MSR) to establish a stable near-zero field environment. Affected by external environmental electromagnetic interference, the magnetic noise in the MSR will become very severe. In order to overcome this problem, this paper proposes a method for dynamic stabilisation of magnetic fields measured inside a MSR using an external coil system. Firstly, the field form of the external compensation coil was analysed by taking the AC characteristics of the material into consideration. Then, the linear characteristic of the control system is studied and a high performance magnetic noise suppression controller is designed based on the environment noise characteristics. Finally, simulation and experimental are carried out through a self-developed 1250 mm × 1250 mm × 2100 mm MSR, which indicates that the proposed method can effectively suppress dynamic magnetic fluctuation and noise.

Eye Tracking in MEG.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) can measure brain activity in ms-level temporal resolution. MEG sensors are super sensitive devices for magnetic signals of the brain but are also prone to electromagnetic interferences. The MEG device is located inside the magnetically shielded room (MSR), and any monitoring device used inside the MSR requires special shielding and its location must be carefully selected to suppress electromagnetic interference. Eye-tracker measures eye movements, providing spatial location of the gaze, pupil diameters, and eye blinks. Eye tracking in MEG enables, for example, categorization of the MEG data based on gaze position and interactive stimulus using gaze position. Combining the methods together will require considering the electromagnetic interference for the MEG-that is, additional shielding, positioning of the eye tracker, and subject-specific issues related to make-up and eye-corrective lenses.

Achieving ultra-low and -uniform residual magnetic fields in a very large magnetically shielded room for fundamental physics experiments

High-precision searches for an electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM) require stable and uniform magnetic field environments. We present the recent achievements of degaussing and equilibrating the magnetically shielded room (MSR) for the n2EDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute. We present the final degaussing configuration that will be used for n2EDM after numerous studies. The optimized procedure results in a residual magnetic field that has been reduced by a factor of two. The ultra-low field is achieved with the full magnetic-field-coil system, and a large vacuum vessel installed, both in the MSR. In the inner volume of ∼1.4m3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sim 1.4~\\hbox {m}^3$$\\end{document}, the field is now more uniform and below 300 pT. In addition, the procedure is faster and dissipates less heat into the magnetic environment, which in turn, reduces its thermal relaxation time from 12h\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$12~\ ext {h}$$\\end{document} down to 1.5h\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$1.5~\ ext {h}$$\\end{document}.

Low noise magnetic field compensation based on differential biplanar coils with small coil constant

Magnetic field noise is a key factor limiting the resolution of quantum precise measurement. In active magnetic field compensation systems, the large coil constant and fixed noise of the coil and current source, respectively, cause excessive noise. This study proposes a differential biplanar coils (DBCs) design method by comprehensively optimizing two sets of biplanar coils with differential evolution (DE) algorithm, which can reduce the coil constant by two magnitude orders while ensuring high uniformity. The peak-to-peak magnetic field at the center point is reduced to 0.8 pT, and the magnetic field noise is reduced to 8 fT/Hz, which is a reduction of 94.4%. The low noise active magnetic compensation system based on the differential biplanar coils can improve the accuracy of the magnetic shielding room (MSR) internal magnetic field control and reduce magnetic field noise effectively. The proposed method contributes to generating a near-zero magnetic field environment with low magnetic field noise, which is critical to promoting magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements.

Analysis and Design of Biplanar Coils Within Magnetic Shielding Room Considering Actual Ferromagnetic Boundaries

Analysis and Design of Biplanar Coils Within Magnetic Shielding Room Considering Actual Ferromagnetic Boundaries

Magnetic noise analysis for small magnetically shielded room in different environmental magnetic fields

The compact high-performance magnetically shielded room (MSR) provides near-zero magnetic field environment for low-cost magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements. Predicting the level of magnetic noise in the MSR under different magnetic field holds significant importance for the deployment of MEG systems. In this paper, the magnetic noise of MSR in different operational conditions is studied. The magnetic noise in MSR is modeled as residual environmental noise, material one, and additional one. A quantitative model for magnetic noise calculation is established, leading to the definition of the Weak Shielding Factor (WSF), which establishes a relationship between the environment magnetic noise and MSR one. Verification experiments are conducted using a compact MSR, a magnetically shielded box, and a cylindrical magnetically shielded bucket. The average magnetic noise error between calculated and measured values in 1–100 Hz range for the three shielding structures are 8.29%, 12.33%, and 7.50%, respectively, which shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.

A large ‘Active Magnetic Shield’ for a high-precision experiment

We present a novel Active Magnetic Shield (AMS), designed and implemented for the n2EDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute. The experiment will perform a high-sensitivity search for the electric dipole moment of the neutron. Magnetic-field stability and control is of key importance for n2EDM. A large, cubic, 5 m side length, magnetically shielded room (MSR) provides a passive, quasi-static shielding-factor of about 105\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$10^5$$\\end{document} for its inner sensitive volume. The AMS consists of a system of eight complex, feedback-controlled compensation coils constructed on an irregular grid spanned on a volume of less than 1000 m3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^3$$\\end{document} around the MSR. The AMS is designed to provide a stable and uniform magnetic-field environment around the MSR, while being reasonably compact. The system can compensate static and variable magnetic fields up to ±50μT\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\pm \\, 50 \\, {\\upmu }\\hbox {T}$$\\end{document} (homogeneous components) and ±5μT/m\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\pm \\, 5 \\, {\\upmu }\\hbox {T/m}$$\\end{document} (first-order gradients), suppressing them to a few μT\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\upmu }\\hbox {T}$$\\end{document} in the sub-Hertz frequency range. The presented design concept and implementation of the AMS fulfills the requirements of the n2EDM experiment and can be useful for other applications, where magnetically silent environments are important and spatial constraints inhibit simpler geometrical solutions.

Hybrid Method for Reducing the Residual Field in the Magnetic Shielding Room

This study proposes a hybrid method for improving the magnetic shielding performance of a magnetic shielding room (MSR) with few permalloy layers. In this method, two types of compensating coils are combined, one placed outside the MSR and the other placed inside. The coupling effect between the outside coil and the permalloy layer is used to adjust the residual field distribution characteristics of the MSR, and the inside coil is used to compensate for the adjusted residual field. This method has been verified with an MSR with two permalloy layers and an inner space of 1.3 m × 1.3 m × 2.2 m. According to the result, the residual field was reduced to less than 2.5 nT in a cube with a 0.4-m side length, which is seven times lower than that without compensation, and the inner space utilization rate was also improved by two times compared with existing MSRs with a comparable space size. The proposed method is of great significance in the development of magnetic shielding technology.

Degaussing procedure and performance enhancement by low-frequency shaking of a 3-layer magnetically shielded room.

We report on the performance of a Magnetically Shielded Room (MSR) intended for next level 3He/129Xe co-magnetometer experiments that require improved magnetic conditions. The MSR consists of three layers of Mu-metal with a thickness of 3mm each and one additional highly conductive copper-coated aluminum layer with a thickness of 8mm. It has a cubical shape with a walk-in interior volume with an edge length of 2560mm. An optimized degaussing (magnetic equilibration) procedure using a frequency sweep with a constant amplitude followed by an exponential decay of the amplitude will be presented. The procedure for the whole MSR takes 21min, and measurements of the residual magnetic field at the center of the MSR show that |B| < 1 nT can be reached reliably. The chosen degaussing procedure will be motivated by online hysteresis measurements of the assembled MSR and by eddy-current simulations, showing that saturation at the center of the Mu-metal layer is reached. Shielding factors can be improved by a factor ≈4 in all directions by low frequency (0.2Hz), low current (1A) shaking of the outermost Mu-metal layer.

Analysis of the calculation method and evaluation of the magnetic acceleration noise of space inertial sensor

Accurately calculating the magnetic acceleration noise is essential to designing the space inertial sensor and constructing its evaluation system. In view of the shortcomings of the magnetic acceleration noise calculation model, which considers the test mass (TM) as an ideal magnetic dipole rather than an entity, the Maxwell stress tensor method (MSTM) and virtual work principle method (VWPM), which consider the influence of the shape and size of the TM into account are adopted in this study. Through comparison, it is concluded that the non-uniformities of the internal magnetic field and magnetization intensity of the TM are the reasons for the calculation error of the model, and when the magnetic susceptibility is <1 × 10−2, the model can satisfy the requirement of the calculation accuracy. Finally, two specific signals of the near-interplanetary magnetic field and the magnetic field of a circuit board were measured in a magnetic shielding room (MSR), and the magnetic acceleration noises induced by the two magnetic environments were calculated. These can act as significant reference values for magnetic acceleration noise experiments in orbit and the layout of electronic devices in satellite engineering.

A New Correction Method of Distributed Magnetic Sensor System Based on Magnetic Shielding Room

Distributed Magnetic Sensor System (DMSS) can measure vector magnetic field and magnetic gradient tensor (MGT) and is widely used in magnetoencephalography, geological exploration, magnetic navigation, magnetic positioning, and other fields. The posture and position of the magnetic sensor are the key factors that affect measurement accuracy. For the first time, using a magnetic shielding room (MSR) and a composite coil that can switch between uniform and gradient fields in situ, a new correction method for various errors is proposed to reduce vector measurement errors. In addition, sensor position deviation can also lead to MGT calculation errors. This paper establishes a compensation model by using the magnetic field gradient formula. The simulation results show that the average calibration errors of the posture and position of the magnetic sensor are 0.08% and 0.53%, respectively, and the measurement error of the MGT is reduced by four times. Experimental results in the MSR show that the measurement error of the vector magnetic field is reduced by two orders of magnitude and that of the MGT by one order of magnitude. Therefore, the new calibration method can effectively enhance the measurement accuracy of the DMSS.

Demagnetization Parameters Evaluation of Magnetic Shields Based on Anhysteretic Magnetization Curve.

To achieve the nearly zero-field environment, demagnetization is an indispensable step for magnetic shields composed of high-permeability material, which adjusts the magnetization of the material to establish magnetic equilibrium with the environmental field and improve the shielding performance. The ideal demagnetization can make the high-permeability material on the anhysteretic magnetization curve to have a higher permeability than on the initial magnetization curve. However, inappropriate parameters of degaussing field cause the magnetization state to deviate from the anhysteretic magnetization curve. Therefore, this article proposes a new assessment criterion to analyze and evaluate the parameters of degaussing field based on the difference between the final magnetization state after demagnetization and theoretical anhysteretic state of the shielding material. By this way, the magnetization states after demagnetizations with different initial amplitude, frequency, period number and envelope attenuation function are calculated based on the dynamic Jiles-Atherton (J-A) model, and their magnetization curves under these demagnetization conditions are also measured and compared, respectively. The lower frequency, appropriate amplitude, sufficient period number and logarithmic envelope attenuation function can make the magnetization state after demagnetization closer to the ideal value, which is also consistent with the static magnetic-shielding performance of a booth-type magnetically shielded room (MSR) under different demagnetization condition.