Remote Chip-Scale Quantum Sensing of Magnetic Fields

Abstract

Quantum sensing is an ever-evolving research field describing the use of a quantum phenomenon to perform measurement of a physical quantity. Amongst different types of quantum sensors, atomic vapor-based quantum effects are extensively used to measure quantities such as time, velocity, acceleration, and electric and magnetic fields. Here, we propose and demonstrate remote quantum sensing using a chip-scale atomic vapor cell. Specifically, we remotely interrogate mm-scale micromachined vapor cells, and measure the ambient Earth's magnetic field at a standoff distance of ~10 meters and a sensitivity of ~1 pT/Hz^0.5 . Simultaneously we are able measure the distance between micro-cell and the interrogating system by means of time-of-flight measurements, thus correlating between position and magnetic field. Consequently, we provide a novel toolset to measure and map arbitrary, remote, and hard to access magnetic field in unshielded environments with high sensitivity and spatial resolution, paving the way to a variety of novel applications in diverse fields such as medicine, communication, defense, space-exploration, and quantum technologies.