| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/N508391/1 |
| Title: |
Ultra-Low Frequency Magnetic Induction Tomography with Atomic Magnetometers for Security and Defence applications |
| Principal Investigator: |
Renzoni, Professor F |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Physics and Astronomy |
| Organisation: |
UCL |
| Scheme: |
Technology Programme |
| Starts: |
01 April 2015 |
Ends: |
30 November 2015 |
Value (£): |
76,135
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Imaging large objects hidden underground and underwater is a central problem in defence and security. This proposal aims
to investigate the potential for imaging and tomography based on atomic magnetometers in this context, as well as to
provide a proof-of-principle in the case of metallic objects underwater.
Magnetic Induction Tomography (MIT) is a non-contact technique which allows imaging of conductive objects. It relies on
the generation of eddy currents by an oscillating magnetic field in the object of interest and on the detection of the magnetic
field produced by those eddy currents. Position resolved measurements allow then the reconstruction of the image of the
object under the form of a conductivity map.
MIT allows the detection of conductive objects hidden underground/underwater, given the low conductivity of the soil/water.
The depth at which objects can be detected depends on the frequency of the driving magnetic field, as well as on the
sensitivity of the sensors. While very low frequency, of the order of Hz, allows penetration depths of a few kilometres, the
sensitivity of conventional coil-based detectors is very low at such frequencies. The use of atomic magnetometers for MIT
systems, as recently demonstrated by the UCL team, provides an effective solution, as atomic magnetometers are very
sensitive at low frequency, and precisely up to 7 orders of magnitude more sensitive than a coil based sensor of the same
volume. In addition, the technique developed at UCL is suitable for use in an unscreened environment and does not require
any calibration because the atomic magnetometer response is linked to the magnetic field by fundamental physical
constants.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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