The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 29, 2011
Filed:
May. 01, 2009
Fredrik K. Fatemi, McLean, VA (US);
Mark Bashkansky, Alexandria, VA (US);
Matthew L. Terraciano, Smithtown, NY (US);
Fredrik K. Fatemi, McLean, VA (US);
Mark Bashkansky, Alexandria, VA (US);
Matthew L. Terraciano, Smithtown, NY (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A method and system for remotely imaging a magnetic field within an atom cloud is provided. An atom sample held in a magneto-optical trap is released, and the released atom cloud is illuminated by a Raman beam. Resonant atoms having certain velocities will absorb photon momenta from the Raman beam. The velocities of those resonant atoms will change in response to the absorbed momenta, causing a change in the travel distance of those atoms as compared with non-resonant atoms. The atom cloud is imaged by an imaging device such as a CCD camera and the presence of the resonant atoms is shown in the images as bright lines in the atom cloud. The distance traveled by the resonant atoms and therefore the separation of the lines in the image is a function of the magnetic fields in the atom cloud. The system and method of the present invention can image the magnetic fields within an atom cloud with a high spatial resolution over the entire atom cloud in a single imaging cycle, and analysis of the image provides information regarding the magnetic fields.