Magnetic sensors

Magnetic field measurements have thousands of important applications- from monitoring foetal heartbeats to locating unexploded ordinance. Laboratory measurements over the last decade have pushed the boundaries of sensitivity with optical magnetometers, and, with field resolution below 1 femtotestla, this technology can now be applied in place of expensive cryogenic SQUID sensors.

Compact optical & atomic systems

Our work to develop portable magnetometers requires the design and testing of ever-smaller and more scalable laser and atomic vapour systems. Characterisation of atomic vapour cells is carried out in the laboratory at Strathclyde.

Data aquisition and processing

Practical sensors require real-time data readout and optimisation. Development of the hardware, software and firmware for control and measurement of our atomic system is a key part of my work.

Precision electronics

Low-noise analogue electronics forms the interface between the sensor control system and its atomic sample. Development and testing of these electronics allows us to rapidly increase the sensitivity and scalability of magnetic sensors.

I am interested in using innovative optical magnetometry techniques to further develop practical real-world technology with a range of important applications. During the last decade, laboratory magnetometers have made magnetic measurements with sensitivities below 0.5 femtotestla (one hundred billionth of the Earth's magnetic field). My work is focussed on bringing that sensitivity out of the lab and into applications such as medical imaging, geological surveying, archaeology and security, by developing the hardware and techniques to make reliable, portable optical magnetometers. This work is funded by the UK's National Quantum Technology Hub in Sensors and Metrology (http://quantumsensors.org/)