Evanescent wave magnetometers with ultrathin (∼100 μm) cells

We studied the performance of an evanescent wave magnetometer with a coated cell of adjustable length. The cell length varies from a few millimeters to less than 100 mu m. Two kinds of antirelaxation coatings are used: octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and dichlorooctamethyltetrasiloxane (Surfasil). Sub-kilohertz linewidth can be achieved for a 100 mu m thick OTS- coated cell. Magnetometers with coated ultrathin cells have superior performance in inhomogeneous magnetic fields, and can achieve a spatial resolution of better than 25 mu m. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.