Variable Permeability Magnetometer Systems and Methods for Aerospace Applications

NASA's Langley Research Center has developed a magnetometer that takes advantage of the unique variable permeability properties of Metglas 2714A magnetic material. By measuring directly the inductive reactance of a simple right circular cylindrical search coil through the application of current from a high-output-impedance current source driven with a 10-kHz sinusoidal voltage, a magnetic field sensor having a 700-Hz bandwidth, good linearity, and excellent noise performance with sensitivity at least as good as the 0.1 nTesla range was produced.