Vector Overhauser magnetometer POS-4: experience and prospects of application

¹ Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Radio Wave Propagation FEB RAS, Paratunka, Kamchatka, Russia
² Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
³ Institute of Geophysics UB RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russia
⁴ Geophysical Center RAS, Moscow, Russia
⁵ Gorno-Altaisk State University, Gorno-Altaysk, Altai Republic, Russia
⁶ St.-Petersburg branch, Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation of RAS, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
⁷ Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation RAS, Moscow, Russia
⁸ The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, Roshydromet, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

^* e-mail: khomutov@ikir.ru
^** e-mail: vasapunov@gmail.com

Published online: 8 November 2021

Abstract

The results of practical use of a POS-4 vector magnetometer, developed by the Research Laboratory of Quantum Magnetometry, UrFU (Yekaterinburg) and based on POS Overhauser sensors, are presented. Continuous measurements by POS-4 have been carried out at the Paratunka observatory (IKIR FEB RAS, Kamchatka) since 2015, were done at the Saint Petersburg observatory (GC RAS / IZMIRAN SPb Branch, Leningrad Region) in 2017-2018 and have been performed at the Arti observatory (Institute of Geophysics, UB RAS, Sverdlovsk Region) since 2020. On the new high-latitude observatory White Sea (IAGA code WSE, GC RAS / MSU, Nikolai Pertsov White Sea Biological Station , Karelia), POS-4 is used as a main variometer for magnetic measurements. In April 2019, the magnetometer was successfully used for field measurements on ice during the TRANSARCTIC expedition in the Barents Sea (AARI, Roshydromet). At the beginning of 2021 IZMIRAN started testing two POS-4 magnetometers at the Moskow observatory. According to the results of field and observatory measurements it was possible to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the magnetometer and provide the information for its developers for further modernization in order to improve its efficiency and reliability. Many years of experience in POS-4 application determine the areas where its scientific and applied usage will provide important results, for example, for magnetic measurements in the Arctic regions or for monitoring of active zones around volcanoes.