MAGNETOMETER WITH A LIGHT EMITTING DIODE

• US 20170212179A1
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Hahn, Joseph W., Lew, Wilbur, Bruce, Gregory S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,006,973 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/08 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for photometry standard sources, also using luminescent or radioactive material
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0017 Means for compensating offset magnetic fields or the magnetic flux to be measured; Means for generating calibration magnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/032 using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday or Cotton-Mouton effect

Abstract

A device includes a diamond with one or more nitrogen vacancies, a light emitting diode configured to emit light that travels through the diamond, and a photo sensor configured to sense the light. The device also includes a processor operatively coupled to the photo sensor. The processor is configured to determine, based on the light sensed by the photo sensor, a magnetic field applied to the diamond.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a diamond with one or more nitrogen vacancies;

a light emitting diode configured to emit light toward the diamond;

a first photo sensor configured to sense a first portion of the light emitted by the light emitting diode, wherein the first portion of the light does not travel through the diamond;

a second photo sensor configured to sense a second portion of the light emitted by the light emitting diode, wherein the second portion of the light travels through the diamond; and

a processor operatively coupled to the first photo sensor and a second photo sensor, wherein the processor is configured to;

compare a first signal received from the first photo sensor with a second signal received from the second photo sensor; and

determine, based on the comparison of the first signal and the second signal, a strength of a magnetic field applied to the diamond.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a first filter between the light emitting diode and the first photo sensor, wherein light traveling through the first filter and to the first photo sensor is substantially green.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second filter between the diamond and the second photo sensor, wherein light traveling through the second filter and to the second photo sensor is substantially red.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink configured to dissipate heat created by the light emitting diode.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a battery configured to provide power to the light emitting diode and the processor.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a photo sensor plate, wherein the second photo sensor is disposed on the photo sensor plate.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting diode is substantially green.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical component that surrounds at least a portion of the diamond;

a first lens positioned between the first photo sensor and the electrical component, wherein the first lens is configured to shield the first photo sensor from first electromagnetic interference emitted by the electrical component; and

a second lens positioned between the electrical component and the second photo sensor, wherein the second lens is configured to shield the second photo sensor from second electromagnetic interference emitted by the electrical component.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first photo sensor is configured to detect noise in the light emitted from the light emitting diode, and wherein the processor is further configured to compensate for noise in the second portion of the light based on the detected noise in the light emitted from the light emitting diode.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a three-dimensional Helmholtz coil surrounding the diamond.

11. (canceled)

12. A method comprising:

emitting, from a light emitting diode, a first light portion and a second light portion;

sensing, at a first sensor, the first light portion; and

sensing, at a second sensor, the second light portion, wherein the second light portion traveled through a diamond with a nitrogen vacancy; and

comparing the first light portion to the second light portion to determine a strength of a magnetic field applied to the diamond.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said comparing the first light portion to the second light portion comprises comparing a strength of a frequency of the first light portion to a strength of a frequency of the second light portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the frequency of the first light portion is a green color, and wherein the frequency of the second light portion is a red color.

15. A method comprising:

emitting light from a light emitting diode, wherein the light travels through a diamond with a nitrogen vacancy; and

determining, based on a signal from a photo sensor that sensed the light, a magnetic field applied to the diamond.

16. The method of claim 15, said determining the magnetic field applied to the diamond comprises comparing an amount of the light sensed by the photo sensor to a predetermined value.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to an amount of light sensed by the photo sensor when a known magnetic field was applied to the diamond.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to an amount of light sensed by the photo sensor when no magnetic field was applied to the diamond.

19. The device of claim 16, further comprising causing light emitted from the diamond through a filter between the diamond and the photo sensor, wherein light traveling through the filter is substantially red.

20. A method comprising:

emitting light from a light source, wherein the light is not polarized, and wherein the light travels through a diamond with nitrogen vacancies; and

determining, based on a signal from a photo sensor that sensed the light, a magnetic field applied to the diamond.

21. The method of claim 20, said determining the magnetic field applied to the diamond comprises comparing an amount of the light sensed by the photo sensor to a predetermined value.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising uniformly exciting, with the light, the nitrogen vacancies of the diamond.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the nitrogen vacancies of the diamond are arranged in a plurality of axis directions.

24. A device comprising:

a diamond with one or more nitrogen vacancies;

a light emitting diode configured to emit light that travels through the diamond;

a photo sensor configured to sense the light; and

a processor operatively coupled to the photo sensor, wherein the processor is configured to determine, based on the light sensed by the photo sensor, a magnetic field applied to the diamond.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein to determine the magnetic field applied to the diamond, the processor is configured to compare an amount of the light sensed by the photo sensor to a predetermined value.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to an amount of light sensed by the photo sensor when a known magnetic field was applied to the diamond.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to an amount of light sensed by the photo sensor when no magnetic field was applied to the diamond.

28. The device of claim 24, further comprising a filter between the diamond and the photo sensor, wherein light traveling through the filter is substantially red.

29. A device comprising:

a diamond with one or more nitrogen vacancies;

a light source configured to emit light that travels through the diamond, wherein the light is not polarized;

a photo sensor configured to sense the light; and

a processor operatively coupled to the photo sensor, wherein the processor is configured to determine, based on the light sensed by the photo sensor, a magnetic field applied to the diamond.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the diamond comprises nitrogen vacancies that are each associated with one of a plurality of axes, and wherein the light is configured to uniformly excite the nitrogen vacancies in each of the plurality of axes.