optically pumped magnetometer

optically pumped magnetometer

[′äp·tə·klē ¦pəmpt ‚mag·nə′täm·əd·ər] (engineering) A type of magnetometer that measures total magnetic field intensity by observation of the precession frequency of magnetic atoms, usually gaseous rubidium, cesium, or helium, which are magnetized by irradiation with circularly polarized light of a suitable wavelength.