Non-invasive detection of animal nerve impulses with an atomic magnetometer operating near quantum limited sensitivity.

ABSTRACT: Magnetic fields generated by human and animal organs, such as the heart, brain and nervous system carry information useful for biological and medical purposes. These magnetic fields are most commonly detected using cryogenically-cooled superconducting magnetometers. Here we present the first detection of action potentials from an animal nerve using an optical atomic magnetometer. Using an optimal design we are able to achieve the sensitivity dominated by the quantum shot noise of light and quantum projection noise of atomic spins. Such sensitivity allows us to measure the nerve impulse with a miniature room-temperature sensor which is a critical advantage for biomedical applications. Positioning the sensor at a distance of a few millimeters from the nerve, corresponding to the distance bet

SUBMITTER: Jensen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4945862 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature