A traditional compass aligns itself to magnetic north with a needle or compass rose. An atomic compass reveals a magnetic field’s orientation in other ways. One method is to fire laser light at atoms from multiple directions, changing the shapes of their orbitals. Researchers can then deduce the magnetic field vector. An alternative method developed at the University of Glasgow uses a vectorial laser. An external magnetic field is applied to a cloud of atoms, then a camera captures the intensity of the light as it exits the cloud. Fourier analysis reveals the 3D alignment of the applied magnetic field.
Key Takeaways:
- Atoms, which are sub-particles, tend to spin in a specific way. However, this orbital is distorted when the atom comes in contact with laser light.
- The laser light’s polarization affects the pointing of the atom’s spins. The result is that the two form a match.
- A vectorial laser is one in which the polarization direction alters across the beam’s profile. It’s been used in compass research at the University of Glasgow.
“The traditional compass consists of a needle or compass rose that aligns itself to magnetic north. But there are other types of compasses. For example, the precession of atomic dipoles in a gas can also reveal a magnetic fields’ orientation.”
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