Non-contact optical magnetic field sensor based on metamaterial nanomechanics

We demonstrate a non-contact optical magnetic field sensor that is based on actuation of a metamaterial-microcavity by the magnetic Lorentz force. Magnetic field is transduced to a change of the sensor's reflectivity. The microscale proof-of-concept metamaterial magnetometer can be read from a distance and offers 60 mu m spatial, about 10 mu s temporal, and sub-microtesla magnetic field resolution. (c) 2022 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0081849

Automated summary

We present a non-contact optical magnetic field sensor that utilizes the magnetic Lorentz force to actuate a metamaterial microcavity, enabling transduction of the magnetic field into a change in reflectivity. This proof-of-concept microscale metamaterial magnetometer offers remote reading capability, with 60 μm spatial resolution, 10 μs temporal resolution, and sub-microtesla magnetic field resolution.