A Fast Identification on the Spin-Exchange Relaxation-Free Regime of Atomic Magnetometer Exploiting Measurement on Gyromagnetic Ratio

Spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometers seem to be the state-of-the-art magnetic sensors today as they have achieved a sensitivity of femtotesla in the elimination of broadening contribution of spin-exchange collisions operated in the mode of SERF regime. In order to extend the practicability of SERF atomic magnetometry in superb performances in a movable platform, ensuring and testing the working status of alkali atoms are of great importance. Given the fact that in the premise of SERF regime, the linewidth of magnetic resonance would be narrowing down and the precession frequency would become a constant fractional value of the Larmor frequency for alkali atoms, we measure the gyromagnetic ratio of weakly polarized alkali-metal vapor by yielding the damped oscillating curves and fitting measured increments of frequency and magnetic field to identify the working regime of alkali atoms in a fast and straightforward manner. The experimental results have good agreements with theoretical analysis and simulation, and the whole measurement process lasts milliseconds with relatively measured error ±1% in the temperature range of T = 156 °C-184 °C. To testify the validity of the innovation, magnetic resonance line is obtained in the same condition proffering the width comparative with the outcome from simulation, indicating the spin-exchange broadening has been eliminated, presenting the same conclusion with innovation, and providing systematic sensitivity 30 fT/Hz1/2.