Atomic magnetometer with multiple spatial channels

1. Atomic magnetometer apparatus, comprising:

an atomic vapor cell;

an optical system conformed to transmit radiation comprising pump light through the vapor cell; and

an optical detection system arranged to receive and detect at least a portion of the transmitted radiation after it exits the vapor cell;

wherein:

the optical system comprises a diffractive optical element arranged to divide at least a portion of the transmitted radiation into a plurality of separate diffracted beams that traverse the vapor cell;

the diffractive optical element is conformed to divide radiation incident thereon into at least four separate beams that traverse the vapor cell;

the optical system is arranged such that each of the separate diffracted beams that traverse the vapor cell contains radiation at both a pump wavelength and a probe wavelength that is different from the pump wavelength; and

the optical detection system comprises at least one array of photodetector elements, in which each element is arranged to detect a corresponding one of the separate diffracted beams that traverse the vapor cell.

2. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical system comprises a laser for transmitting a pump beam through the vapor cell and a laser for transmitting a probe beam through the vapor cell.

3. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical detection system is arranged to measure optical rotation of probe light that has been transmitted through the vapor cell.

4. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical detection system is arranged to measure an amount of pump light that has been transmitted through the vapor cell.

5. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of photodetector elements is a two-dimensional array and the apparatus further comprises electrical circuitry conformed to calculate magnetic gradient measurements from voltages output by the photodetector elements of the array.

6. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the optical detection system is a differential detection system in which each of the separate diffracted beams that traverse the vapor cell is split into two sub-beams by a polarization beam splitter after exiting the vapor cell, thereby to split the plurality of separate diffracted beams into a first plurality of sub-beams having a first polarization and a second plurality of sub-beams having a second polarization;

the optical detection system comprises: a first array of photodetector elements that is impinged by the first plurality of sub-beams; and a second array of photodetector elements that is impinged by the second plurality of sub-beams;

each photodetector element of said first array is arranged to detect a corresponding one of the sub-beams of the first said plurality of sub-beams; and

each photodetector element of said second array is arranged to detect a corresponding one of the sub-beams of the second said plurality of sub-beams.

7. Atomic magnetometer apparatus, comprising:

an atomic vapor cell;

an optical system conformed to transmit radiation comprising pump light through the vapor cell; and

an optical detection system arranged to receive and detect at least a portion of the transmitted radiation after it exits the vapor cell;

wherein the optical system comprises a diffractive optical element arranged to divide at least a portion of the transmitted radiation into a plurality of separate diffracted beams that traverse the vapor cell;

and wherein the atomic magnetometer apparatus further comprises:

a solenoid coil;

a sample tube, positioned within the solenoid coil, for containing a sample to be subjected to magnetic imaging; and

at least one further atomic vapor cell; wherein:

the atomic vapor cells are positioned within a magnetic sensing distance of the sample tube;

each atomic vapor cell is arranged to be transilluminated by radiation comprising pump light from an optical system; and

each atomic vapor cell is arranged to pass the transilluminating radiation, after it exits the atomic vapor cell, to an optical detection system arranged to receive and detect at least a portion of the passed radiation.

8. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 7 , comprising a plurality of sensor modules positioned within a magnetic sensing distance of the sample tube, wherein each sensor module includes one or more atomic vapor cells and one or more optical detection systems.

9. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 8 , each sensor module further comprises a respective optical system.

10. The atomic magnetometer apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a pulsed power source for driving the solenoid coil so as to produce a transient magnetic field within the sample tube.

11. The magnetic imaging system of claim 7 , further comprising a mechanical arrangement for moving the sample longitudinally along the sample tube.