Magnetocardiography with a 16-channel fiber-coupled single-cell Rb optically pumped magnetometer
We have constructed a low-cost, portable, high-sensitivity 16-channel optically pumped magnetometer (OPM), operating in the spin-exchange relaxation-free regime, and demonstrated its applications in magnetocardiography (MCG). The decrease in the cost of sensors by an order of magnitude is achieved by the 16-channel operation realized in a single module using a single large flat pancake rubidium vapor cell, broad pump and probe laser beams, and a 16-channel photodiode array. The OPM is also based on a fiber-coupled nearly parallel-beam configuration to facilitate multichannel design and make the system portable. For human MCG experiments, the 16-channel OPM which includes optical components is placed inside a wooden enclosure for laser safety. The enclosure is set on a nonmagnetic table inside a magnetically shielded room, while the lasers and electronics are placed outside the shielding room, to avoid magnetic noise. We show that the 16-channel OPM enables simultaneous imaging of human cardiac activity on a large area of the chest in a single scan. The multichannel capability will accelerate clinical MCG imaging to reduce the procedure time and patient fatigue.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001; 20180131ER
- OSTI ID:
- 1511632
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1506738
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-19-21746
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 114, Issue 14; ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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