September 10, 2015

Lasers and Magnetic Fields

Assistant Professor of Physics Shannon O’Leary receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Lewis & Clark $195,008 in support of Assistant Professor of Physics Shannon O’Leary’s project, “RUI: Coherence-Derived Light Fluctuations for Atomic Magnetometry.”  During this three-year project, Dr. O’Leary, collaborators, and Lewis & Clark undergraduates will study interactions between laser light and a specially prepared gas of atoms that is sensitive to small variations in the surrounding magnetic field. This research will help develop a new platform for atomic magnetometry that makes use of low-cost, accessible, and potentially portable laser systems. In addition to engaging students in meaningful research, this work will further scientific understanding of atom-light interactions, as well as produce new techniques for detecting small, unknown magnetic fields. These discoveries will potentially impact a broad range of technological, medical, and scientific applications.

More information about this NSF-funded project is available here

September 2015