Optical magnetometers

Claim 1

IN AN OPTICAL MAGNETOMETER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: MEANS FORMING A PAIR OF OPTICAL ABSORPTION VOLUMES, EACH CONTAINING AN ASSEMBLAGE OF QUANTUM SYSTEMS WHICH MAY PRECESS IN A UNIDIRECTIONAL MAGNETIC FIELD AT A RATE WHICH IS DETERMINED BY THE INTENSITY OF SAID FIELD, SAID QUANTUM SYSTEMS BEING SPLIT INTO MAGNETIC SUBLEVELS BY SAID FIELD AND EXHIBITING A TIME-VARYING ALIGMENT AMONG SAID SUBLEVELS AT SAID PRECESSION RATE, MEANS FOR DIRECTING OPTICAL RADIATION TO SAID ABSORPTION VOLUMES WITH SUCH SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS AS TO BE DIFFERENTIALLY ABSORBED WITH RESPECT TO THE MAGNETIC SUBLEVELS OF SAID QUANTUM SYSTEMS WHEREBY THE INTENSITY OF THE RADIATION RECEIVED FROM EACH VOLUME IS INTENSITY MODULATED AT A FREQUENCY WHICH DEPENDS ON SAID PRECESSION RATE, MEANS FOR CONVERTING THE INTENSITY MODULATION OF THE RADIATION RECEIVED FROM SAID ABSORPTION VOLUMES INTO ALTERNATING ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, AND MEANS FOR CROSS-COUPLING THE ALTERNATING ELECTRICAL SIGNALS DERIVED FROM EACH ABSORPTION VOLUME TO THE OTHER ABSORPTION VOLUME IN THE FORM OF AN ALTERNATING MAGNETIC FIELD WHICH PRODUCES FORCED PRECESSIONS OF SAID QUANTUM SYSTEMS THEREBY EFFECTING SELF-SUSTAINED OSCILLATION OF SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNALS AT A FREQUENCY DETERMINED BY THE INTENSITY OF SAID UNIDIRECTIONAL FIELD.