What is FluxGate magnetometer?
Fluxgate magnetometer is a type of scientific instrument used to detect changes in the Earth's magnetic field. Fluxgate magnetometers play an important role in detecting underground or underwater objects. Archaeologists, engineers, geologists and army use or use different types of Fluxgate magnetometer.
FLUXGATE magnetometer is a vector magnetometer, which means it measures not only the size but also the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. The device consists of two ferromagnetic cores surrounded by two wire coils. When the magnetometer is active, the alternating current passes one of the coils known as the "winding coil", creating induced magnetic fields of different intensities and complementary direction in the cores. Changes in magnetic fields generate electric current in the second coil known as "Sense Coil", which can then be measured. Exposure to changes in the Earth's magnetic field causes changes in the core vmagnetic fields, leading to changes in the current in the sensory coil.
Victor Vacquier invented a Fluxgate magnetometerin the 1930s of the 20th century. Low -flying aircraft carried Fluxgate magnetometers during World War II. Large objects made of iron metals, such as submarines, cause localized changes in the magnetic field of the Earth, so the magnetometer was able to detect enemy blood vessels.
The military use of the Fluxgate magnetometer continued after World War II. Fluxgate magnetometers are very suitable for field work due to their durability and small size. As a result, they have become a common tool in the detection of unexploded ammunition, such as bombs, artillery shells and ground mines.
The army was not the only customers for a light, portable tool that could detect changes in the Earth's magnetic field. After World War II and increasingly sixty years, archaeologists began to use Fluxgate magnetometers to detect underground elements. Gelded metals were not the only substances toTeré archaeologists used magnetometers to search for magnetometers. Burning locally changes the magnetic field of substances such as stone, earth and ceramics, allowing archaeologists to detect deposits of ancient material. Fluxgate magnetometer has become a special favorite of archaeologists not only because of its lightness and durability, but also because of its typically low cost.
Fluxgate magnetometer is also used in physics research. These tools are mounted on aircraft or spacecraft and are used to measure changes in the magnetic field in the atmosphere. Fluxgate magnetometers mounted on a spacecraft can measure magnetic fields of planets other than Earth.