How does Fluxgate Magnetometer work?

You must be aware of the fact that magnets create a magnetic field. And earth has a magnetic field, similarly, a current flowing in a wire also has a magnetic field. However, did you ever know that our brain and heart also generates a field around itself? Even a fluxgate magnetometer has a magnetic field around it. However, there is a difference between a magnetic field generated by a magnet and by brain and heart is in the magnitude of magnetic.

To your surprise, we are surrounded by magnetic fields. Earth also has its own magnetic field, although it is relatively small in comparison to others.

Defining Magnetometer

It is a device that measures magnetic fields. It has the capability with a sensor that measures flux density. It refers to sensors used for sensing magnetic areas or measures magnetic field with the help of one or more sensors.

The flux of the magnet is directly proportion to magnetic field strength, and thus it detects the fluctuation in the earth’s field.

Defining Fluxgate

A fluxgate magnetometer is a magnetic field sensor used for vectormagnetic field. Its range is appropriate for measuring earth’s field and is capable of resolving until the limit of 10000. It was traditionally used for compass work and navigation along with metal detection and prospecting. However, in today’s world of silicon, its importance is fading.

It can be categorized into two types – magnetometer with rode cores and ring cores. The fluxgate uses a highly permeable core, which concentrates on the magnetic field that needs to be measured. The core is saturated magnetically in opposite direction with help of a suitable axis. This is done with a help of an excitation coil driven by a square waveform.

How does Magnetometer work?

The magnet is distorted by magnetic flux lines thus, some materials are said to be magnetic in nature. Such materials create distortion in the earth’s magnetic flux that forms around it. The instrument analyzes these distortions.

A magnetometer job is to measure magnetic flux density at the point where the sensor is located. Magnetic field reduces in intensity with the cube of the distance from the object. The distance of that can be detected by this instrument is directly proportionate to the cube root of the magnetometer’s sensitivity.

Here are the types found:

1.      Vector Magnetometer measures the flux density value of a specific direction in 3-dimensional space.

2.      Scalar Magnetometer measures only the magnitude of the vector through the sensor, without considering the direction.   

    

The flux of change from Faraday’s law that is proportionate to the magnetic field – an ordinary sensor can be used for this. This technique is used for various kinds of experiments and studies, based on which many results are taken. Fluxgate magnetometer is also used for research around the world.