PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | November 4, 2016
Proc. SPIE. 10026, Real-time Photonic Measurements, Data Management, and Processing II
KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Polarization, Chemical species, Magnetism, Xenon, Time metrology, Signal processing, Gyroscopes, Signal detection, Rubidium
In a nuclear-magnetic-resonance gyroscope (NMRG), the polarization of nuclear spins and the detection of motional
information are usually achieved by utilizing the atomic spins of alkali atoms. The parameters of the atomic spins are
mainly evaluated by the relaxation time. Relaxation time is very important and can influence signal-to-noise ratio,
dynamic range, start time, and other gyroscope parameters. Therefore, its accurate measurement is critical in the study of
NMRG performance. In this study, we evaluate a variety of methods to measure the transverse and longitudinal
relaxation times. First we examine the free-induction-decay method, which is the industry standard for measuring spin
relaxation time. Second we investigate the improved free-induction-decay, fitting-ratio, and magnetic-resonance-broadening-
fitting methods for measuring the transverse relaxation time, and the flipped polarization method for
measuring the longitudinal relaxation time. By changing the experimental conditions, we obtain the longitudinal
relaxation time using the flipped polarization method under a variety of conditions. Finally, by comparing these
measurement methods, we propose the best measurement methods under different conditions.
