Events Calendar

"Hybrid Fluxgate and Search Coil Magnetometer Concept for Nanosat Missions" by Professor David Miles, Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Iowa Abstract: I will present a proof-of-concept hybrid magnetometer which simultaneously operates as both a fluxgate and a search coil allowing it to sense the magnetic field from DC to two kHz using a single sensor. Historically, such measurements would normally require two dedicated instruments, and each would typically require deployment on its own dedicated boom as the instruments mutually interfere. I will show how a racetrack fluxgate core combined with a long solenoidal sense winding is moderately effective as a search coil magnetometer and that the search coil effect can be captured without introducing significant hardware complexity beyond what is already present in a typical fluxgate instrument. I compare several methods of optimizing the search coil action of the hybrid instrument. The best provides sensitivity and noise performance between comparably sized traditional air core and solid core search coil instruments. This hybrid sensor topology is particularly applicable to platforms such a CubeSats where multiple boom-mounted instruments are generally impractical so a single hybrid instrument providing modest, but scientifically useful, sensitivity from DC to kHz frequencies would be beneficial. NASA recently awarded the University of Iowa a three-year Instrument Technology Development (ITD) grant to develop this hybrid magnetometer concept to prepare it for future missions.