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.