Compact superconducting magnetometer having no vacuum insulation
First Claim
1. A magnetometer, comprisinga magnetic field pickup coil;
- a magnetic field detector that receives electrical signals from the pickup coil and produces an electrical detector output responsive thereto, wherein the pickup coil and the magnetic field detector are supported on a single substrate; and
an insulated enclosure that encloses the pickup coil and the field detector and separates the pickup coil and the field detector from an external ambient temperature environment, the insulated enclosure having no vacuum insulation structure, and wherein the insulated enclosure has a flat bottom made, at least in part, of a foamed polymer, with the single substrate having the pickup coil and magnetic field detector thereon located adjacent to the flat bottom and with the plane of the pickup coil oriented parallel to the flat bottom.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A magnetometer comprises a magnetic field pickup coil and a magnetic field detector that receives electrical signals from the pickup coil and produces an electrical detector output responsive thereto. The pickup coil and detector, which are preferably made of high temperature superconductors, are enclosed in an insulated enclosure having no vacuum insulation structure. Preferably, the enclosure is made of a foamed polymer material such as styrofoam. A coolant is provided to the interior of the enclosure, to cool the pickup coil and detector to a temperature below their superconducting transition temperature. A number of such modular magnetometers may be connected together to form an array.
87 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A magnetometer, comprising
a magnetic field pickup coil; -
a magnetic field detector that receives electrical signals from the pickup coil and produces an electrical detector output responsive thereto, wherein the pickup coil and the magnetic field detector are supported on a single substrate; and an insulated enclosure that encloses the pickup coil and the field detector and separates the pickup coil and the field detector from an external ambient temperature environment, the insulated enclosure having no vacuum insulation structure, and wherein the insulated enclosure has a flat bottom made, at least in part, of a foamed polymer, with the single substrate having the pickup coil and magnetic field detector thereon located adjacent to the flat bottom and with the plane of the pickup coil oriented parallel to the flat bottom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 21)
-
-
11. A magnetometer, comprising
at least two magnetometer modules arranged in an array, each magnetometer module having at least one magnetic field pickup coil, at least one magnetic field detector, each magnetic field detector receiving an electrical signal from one of the pickup coils and producing an electrical detector output responsive thereto, and an insulated enclosure that encloses the at least one pickup coil and its field detector, the insulated enclosure having no vacuum insulation structure; - and
means for mechanically interconnecting the magnetometer modules of the array. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20)
- and
-
18. A magnetometer, comprising
means for picking up and detecting magnetic fields, the means being made entirely of materials having superconducting critical temperatures of more than about 77 K, the means for picking up and detecting including a magnetic field pickup coil and a magnetic field detector; -
a generally flat insulated enclosure that encloses the means for picking up and detecting, wherein the insulated enclosure has a flat bottom, is made of a foamed polymer, and has no vacuum insulation structure, and wherein the magnetic field pickup coil is supported on a substrate that is located adjacent to and oriented parallel to the flat bottom of the insulated enclosure; and means for providing a coolant to the interior of the insulated enclosure.
-
Specification