NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE MAGNETOMETER EMPLOYING OPTICALLY INDUCED HYPERPOLARIZATION

A magnetometer includes: a sample (10) comprising a selected nuclear species; an optical source (12) configured to hyperpolarize the selected nuclear species of the sample by illuminating the sample with optical radiation (14) having orbital angular momentum; a radio frequency generator (20, 26, 30, 150, 152) configured to input radio frequency energy (32) to the hyperpolarized selected nuclear species of the sample over a probed range of radio frequencies; a detector (20, 26, 40, 150, 154, 164, 166) configured to detect a frequency of nuclear magnetic resonance excited in the hyperpolarized selected nuclear species of the sample by the input radio frequency energy; and a signal output generator (64, 66) configured to output a signal indicative of magnetic field strength based on the detected frequency of nuclear magnetic resonance.