Magnetometry using fluorescence of sodium vapor

Magnetic resonance of sodium fluorescence is studied with varying laser intensity, duty cycle, and field strength. A magnetometer based on a sodium vapor cell filled with He buffer gas is demonstrated, using a single amplitude-modulated laser beam. With a 589 nm laser tuned at the D-1 or D-2 line, the magnetic field is inferred from the variation of fluorescence. A magnetic field sensitivity of 150 pT/root Hz is achieved at the D-1 line. The work is an important step toward sensitive remote magnetometry with mesospheric sodium. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America