High field nuclear magnetometer

Abstract
A magnetometer capable of measuring changes in the nuclear magnetism of 3He in the presence of an 8-T magnetic field is described. A key component is a type II superconducting shield (NbTi) which stabilizes the external field. Short-term sensitivity is equivalent to detecting magnetic field changes of a few parts in 1010. In applications involving large pressure changes and 3He liquid–solid phase changes, additional problems arise. Sensitivity to physical distortion of the device in some applications can generally be corrected for or exploited for pressure detection.