A HIGH-SENSITIVITY, WIDE DYNAMIC-RANGE MAGNETOMETER DESIGNED ON A XYLOPHONE RESONATOR

A novel magnetometer based on a classical xylophone resonator is descr ibed. The device consists of an aluminum bar supported by two wires pl aced at the nodal points of the fundamental resonance frequency. The w ires also supply current of this frequency to the bar. In the presence of a magnetic field, the Lorentz force causes the resonator to vibrat e. The amplitude of this vibration is proportional to a vector compone nt of the magnetic field. The device is intrinsically linear, and by a ltering the drive current the sensitivity can range from nanoteslas to teslas. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.