Cross-validation of microfabricated atomic magnetometers with superconducting quantum interference devices for biomagnetic applications

We compare the performance of a chip-scale atomic magnetometer (CSAM) with that of a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) sensor in two biomedical applications. Magnetocardiograms (MCGs) of healthy human subjects were measured simultaneously by a CSAM and a multichannel SQUID sensor in a magnetically shielded room. The typical features of MCGs are resolved by the CSAM, matching the SQUID results. Magnetorelaxometry (MRX) signals of iron nanoparticles were also obtained with the CSAM and compared to similar measurements with a SQUID. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3491548]