This will build and field-test of prototype of a new class of 3-axis vector magnetometers for geophysical research. This new class of magnetometers is based on the giant magneto-impedance (GMI) effect. GMI magnetometers are now prevalent in manufacturing applications, the automotive industry, and even cell phones but they have not been adapted to the needs of geophysical research. The advantage of a magnetometer based on the GMI effect is that it can be made much smaller than current fluxgate magnetometers and would use much less power to operate. In addition, it is likely that GMI-based magnetometers could be manufactured at a much smaller cost than precision fluxgate magnetometers. The introduction of a cheap, reproducible, low-power alternative to standard fluxgate magnetometers will pave the way for a dense global network of scientific magnetometers, enabling a major improvement in the scientific efficacy of ground-based sensors for the study of magnetospheric phenomena.
This project will take a first critical step in adapting GMI technology for geophysical research. The scope of the project includes (1) building a suitable housing and platform for a prototype device, (2) developing basic data acquisition software, (3) field-testing the instrument in the auroral zone alongside an existing fluxgate magnetometer, and (4) reducing the data in order to perform a comparative evaluation of the suitability of GMI technology for ground-based investigations of magnetospheric phenomena. The GMI sensor is adapted from a sensor developed for deep sea applications under a collaborative effort between Boston University and MTI Limited (Mystic, CT). The field-test of the sensor will take place in Fairbanks, Alaska, where comparisons can be made with the Poker Flat magnetometer, which is part of the Geophysical Institute Magnetometer Array, as well as ancillary radio and optical diagnostics, including those associated with the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) facility.
