N102-134 TITLE: Low-Cost Compact Magnetometers for Air and In-Water Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW)

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-290 P-8A High Altitude ASW

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is "ITAR Restricted." The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120 - 130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign Citizens may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign citizen who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal will be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a small, low-cost, low-power, low-weight total field magnetometer for use on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), buoys, in-water arrays, unmanned ground vehicles, and manned platforms.

DESCRIPTION: Current magnetometer systems are too large to be integrated into a small UAV and too expensive to be used in expendable platforms. The current ASQ-233 Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) sensor is approximately 60" long by 7" diameter, weighs about 29 lbs, and cost in excess of $350,000 each. Commercial magnetometers, though smaller in size, are still over $30,000 unit cost.

Low-cost, light-weight, low-power, expendable magnetometers are desired for shallow water ASW, geomagnetic noise reduction, in-water detection, and land-based target detection such as buried weapons caches and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Proposals should provide innovative design concepts for a scalar magnetometer able to operate in all field directions and magnitudes. Three-axis vector magnetometer devices are not desired for this effort.

Size, weight, and power goals are driven by intended small platform applications. The cost objective should be less than $5,000 in small quantities with a goal of less than $2,000 in volume production (100 - 500 units/year). Proposed designs should be small (< 100 cm3 sensor head, < 1500 cm3 remote electronics module), low-power (< 10 W total), and low-weight (< 5 lb. total). The noise floor objective of the compact magnetometer should be in the range 1 to 10 pT/rt Hz from 0.01 to 100 Hz with a goal of 2 pT/rt Hz from 0.01 to 20 Hz and a heading error of < 300 pT.

Currently available magnetometers vary substantially in the above parameters; however, they all fall far short of the cost specification.

PHASE I: Develop innovative design concepts for a low cost compact magnetometer that can achieve the described cost, weight, size, power, and performance requirements. Evaluate its applicability to the above stated utilizations. Establish the feasibility of designing and fabricating the compact magnetometer prototype in Phase II.

PHASE II: Fabricate two compact magnetometer laboratory prototypes based on the Phase I design. Demonstrate the specified noise floor in a laboratory and field environment with the above-specified parameters.

PHASE III: Transition the compact magnetometer for use in NAVAIR platforms.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Miniature high-performance magnetometers will find application in UAVs for geologic applications including mineral and petroleum exploration.

REFERENCES:
1. Happer, W., "Optical Pumping." Reviews of Modern Physics 44 (1972): 169 - 249.

2. Kominis, I.K., Kornak, T.W., Allred, J.C., and Romalis, M.V., "A Sub-femptotesia Multichannel Atomic Magnetometer." Nature 422 (2003): 596 - 598.

3. Shah, V., Knappe, S., Schwindt, P.D.D., and Kitching, J., "Subpicotesla Atomic Magnetometry with a Micro-Fabricated Vapor Cell." Nature Photonics 1 (2007): 649 - 652.

4. Smullin, S.J., Savukov, I., Vasilakis, G., Ghosh, R.K., and Romalis, M.V., "A Low-Noise High-Density Alkali Metal Scalar Magnetometer." arXiv:physics/0611085, 24 Jul. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.

KEYWORDS: Magnetometers; Magnetic Anomaly Detection; Anti-Submarine Warfare; Unmanned Air Vehicles; Vertical Takeoff UAVs; Improvised Explosive Devices

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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