Method and apparatus for implementing EIT magnetometry

1. A magnetometer comprising an atomic vapor in an enclosure, a source of light for preparing the vapor into a state exhibiting electromagnetically induced transparency, a first laser beam passing through the atomic vapor, a phase detector for detecting changes in phase of the first laser beam, and a controller which controls the light source and first laser beam and receives the information detected by the phase detector in order to compute from those changes in phase a magnetic field strength in the presence of a selected background measurement magnetic field of at least 0.001 T, wherein the source of light is capable of producing light which places the vapor in a state exhibiting electromagnetically induced transparency.

2. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the source of light for preparing the vapor comprises a second laser beam.

3. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the atomic vapor comprises alkali atoms.

4. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam is produced by means of a frequency stabilized diode laser.

5. The magnetometer of claim 2 , wherein the first and second laser beams copropagate.

6. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure has a diameter of no more than about 10 cm.

7. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure comprises no metallic components.

8. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a first portion located close to the atomic vapor enclosure and a second portion located remotely from the first portion and communicating with it via a wireless interface.

9. The magnetometer of claim 1 , further comprising a source of laser beams capable of cooling the atomic vapor by means of laser cooling.

10. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the T.sub.2 of the atomic vapor when the magnetometer is in operation is at least about 25 ms.

11. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the atomic vapor is enclosed in a high finesse optical cavity.

12. The magnetometer of claim 1 , wherein the atomic vapor is at a temperature of no more than about 40° C.

13. An array comprising a plurality of magnetometers of claim 1 .

14. The array of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of magnetometers shares a single controller.

15. A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising a system controller, a table on which a patient may lie, a large magnet, gradient coils for producing a magnetic field with a linear spatial gradient, RF coils for producing pulses of RF energy under the direction of the controller, and a magnetometer of claim 1 .

16. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 15 , wherein the large magnet is a non-superconducting electromagnet.

17. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 16 , wherein the large magnet is capable of being operated in a pulsed mode generating a field of at least about 0.5 T.

18. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 17 , further comprising a second electromagnet which produces a magnetic field which is substantially spatially uniform in a region of interest and which has a magnetic field strength of at least about 0.001 T.

19. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 17 , further comprising an array comprising a plurality of said magnetometers, wherein the system controller is set up to perform parallel MRI using the array.

20. A nuclear magnetic resonance gyroscope, comprising an atomic vapor in an enclosure, a magnet for generating a magnetic field in an area surrounding the enclosure containing the atomic vapor, a source of light for preparing the vapor into a state exhibiting electromagnetically induced transparency, a first laser beam passing through the atomic vapor, a phase detector for detecting changes in phase of the first laser beam, and a controller which controls the light source and first laser beam and receives the information detected by the phase detector in order to compute from those changes in phase a magnetic field strength and thereby compute spectroscopic changes due to rotation.