MAGNETIC-FIELD SENSOR USING PLASTIC OPTICAL-FIBER AND POLYCRYSTALLINE CDMNTE

A plastic optical-fiber magnetometer has been developed based on the Faraday effect and using a polycrystalline CdMnTe plate, with a thickness of 0.55 mm, as Faraday rotator. This is a novel material manufactured by the authors to be used in Faraday-effect sensors. An LED with a peak wavelength at 660 nm is employed as the light source. It injects light into a 1 mm core plastic optical fiber. The magnetometer measurement range is between 0 and 10(4) G, and its resolution is 30 G. As experimental corroboration, the magnetic field has been measured across the axis of a tapered magnet.