arXiv subjects

Peter Blümler

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Blümler.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Openable Force-Balanced Halbach Magnets: From Fibonacci Sphere Simulations to Icosahedral Realizations

A long-standing goal in magnet design is to completely surround a volume of highly homogeneous magnetic field with permanent magnets while maintaining practical access to that volume. In this work, we present a theoretical and experimental investigation of mechanically accessible spherical magnets in Halbach configuration that can be opened with minimal or vanishing force. Focusing on dipolar Halbach spheres composed of discrete magnetic subunits, we derive conditions for force-free opening along specific cutting planes. These conditions define a continuous set of geometries for which tensile magnetic forces cancel, leaving only shear components, enabling mechanically effortless opening. The theoretical predictions are validated experimentally using icosahedral approximations of the Halbach sphere, for which both opening forces and magnetic field properties are measured. The results demonstrate that excellent field homogeneity can be preserved while reducing opening forces by orders of magnitude. Although discussed in detail for the dipolar case, the theoretical framework is general and applicable to higher-order multipole Halbach systems. Finally, the concepts are extended to spherocylindrical Halbach configurations, highlighting their potential for large-volume, highly homogeneous, and mechanically accessible permanent-magnet systems for magnetic resonance

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Discretized Halbach spheres: Icosahedral symmetry for optimal field homogeneity

Halbach spheres provide a theoretically elegant means of generating highly homogeneous magnetic fields, but practical implementation is hindered by challenging fabrication and restricted interior access. This study examines discrete spherical Halbach configurations assembled from permanent magnets placed at the vertices of Platonic and Archimedean solids. Analytical calculations, numerical field simulations, and experimental measurements indicate that polyhedra with icosahedral symmetry achieve the most favorable balance among field strength, homogeneity, and interior accessibility. They produce exceptionally flat fourth-order central saddle points, resulting in a usable homogeneous field volume up to a factor of 260 larger than that of traditional Halbach disk or cylindrical arrays. Several magnet assemblies composed of cubical NdFeB magnets are fabricated and their three dimensional field distributions characterized, demonstrating homogeneous regions of up to several cubic centimeters with deviations below 1%. The findings establish discrete icosahedrally symmetric magnet arrays as practical, scalable building blocks for compact, highly homogeneous magnetic field sources suited to mobile magnetic resonance, and magnetophoretic applications.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Towards a temperature-insensitive composite diamond clock

Frequency references based on solid state spins promise simplicity, compactness, robustness, multifunctionality, ease of integration, and high densities of emitters. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are a natural candidate, but the electronic zero-field splitting exhibits a large fractional temperature dependence, which has precluded its use as a stable clock transition. Here we show that this limitation can be overcome by forming a composite frequency reference that combines measurements of the electronic splitting D with the nuclear quadrupole splitting of the $^{14}$N nuclear spin intrinsic to the NV center. We further benchmark this composite approach against alternative strategies for mitigating temperature sensitivity. By implementing a specially designed pulse sequence with an eight-phase control scheme that suppresses pulse imperfections, we interleave measurements of D and Q in a high-density NV ensemble and demonstrate a temperature-compensated composite frequency reference. The stability of this composite diamond clock is characterized over a 10-day period at room temperature through a comparison to a Rb vapor-cell clock, yielding a fractional instability below $5 \times 10^{-9}$ for an averaging time of $τ= 200$ s and below $1 \times 10^{-8}$ at $τ= 2 \times 10^5$ s, corresponding to measured improvements by a factor of 4 and 200, respectively, over a clock based purely on the single frequency D for the same periods. By characterizing the residual sensitivity to magnetic fields, optical power, and radio-frequency drive amplitudes, we find that temperature is no longer the dominant source of instability. These results establish complementary electron- and nuclear-spin transitions in diamond as a viable route to thermally robust frequency metrology, providing a pathway toward compact, multifunctional solid-state clocks and quantum sensors.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Analytic approach to creating homogeneous fields with finite-size magnets

Homogeneous magnetic fields can be generated through the strategic arrangement of permanent magnets. The Halbach array serves as a prominent example of an effective design following this principle. However, it is a two-dimensional approach because it is optimal when placing infinitely long magnets -- line dipoles -- on a circle. If shorter, more realistic magnets are to be used, the optimal arrangement of magnetic moments diverges from the classical Halbach geometry. This paper presents optimal solutions for three-dimensional arrangements calculated for point dipoles, including optimized orientations for single rings and stacks of two rings. They are superior to the original Halbach arrangement and a modification described in the literature, both in terms of the strength and the homogeneity of the magnetic field. Analytic formulae are provided for both cases and tested by experimental realizations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Optical Widefield Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Microscopy

Microscopy enables detailed visualization and understanding of minute structures or processes. While cameras have significantly advanced optical, infrared, and electron microscopy, imaging nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals on a camera has remained elusive. Here, we employ nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond as a quantum sensor, which converts NMR signals into optical signals that are subsequently captured by a high-speed camera. Unlike traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), our method records the NMR signal over a wide field of view in real space. We demonstrate that our optical widefield NMR microscopy (OMRM) can image NMR signals in microfluidic structures with a $\sim 10\,μm$ resolution across a $\sim 235 \times 150\,μm^2$ area. Crucially, each camera pixel records an NMR spectrum providing multicomponent information about the signal's amplitude, phase, local magnetic field strengths, and gradients. The fusion of optical microscopy and NMR techniques enables multifaceted imaging applications in the physical and life sciences.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

A Comprehensive Approach to Characterize Navigation Instruments for Magnetic Guidance in Biological Systems

The non-invasive spatiotemporal control of cellular functions, organization of tissues, and even the behavior of small animals has become paramount for advanced therapies. As magnetic fields do not interact with biological matter, their application is not only suitable for in vitro experiments but also for in vivo applications, even in deep tissues. Particularly, the remote manipulation of paramagnetic entities through magnetic instruments has emerged as a promising approach across various biological contexts. Despite similarities in basic experimental concepts, variations in the properties and descriptions of those magnetic instruments among the authors and studies resulted in a lack of reproducibility and comparability. Therefore, this article addresses the question of how to standardize the characterization of magnetic instruments. Our emphasis lies on the ability of magnetic systems to control the movement of paramagnetic objects such as ferro- or superparamagnetic particles, within organisms. This movement is achieved by exerting a force on magnetic particles by exposing them to a locally varying magnetic field. While it is well-known that the exerted force depends on the spatial variation (i.e. the gradient) of the magnetic field, the magnitude of the field is equally important. However, this second factor is often neglected in the literature. Therefore, we conduct a comprehensive analysis and discussion of both factors. Furthermore, we propose a novel descriptor, termed "effective gradient", which combines both dependencies. To illustrate, we characterize different magnet systems by calculating and comparing the different quantities and relating them to two experiments with different superparamagnetic nanoparticles.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2023

Practical Concepts for Design, Construction and Application of Halbach Magnets in Magnetic Resonance

This review is a compilation of relevant concepts in designing Halbach multipoles for magnetic resonance applications. The main focus is on providing practical guidelines to plan, design and build such magnets. Therefore, analytical equations are presented for estimating the magnetic field from ideal to realistic systems. Various strategies of homogenizing magnetic fields are discussed together with concepts of opening such magnets without force, or combining them for variable fields. Temperature compensation and other practical aspects are also reviewed. For magnetic resonance two polarities (di- and quadrupole) are of main interest, but higher polarities are also included.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Microwave-free wide-field magnetometry using nitrogen-vacancy centers

A wide-field magnetometer utilizing nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond that does not require microwaves is demonstrated. It is designed for applications where microwaves need to be avoided, such as magnetic imaging of biological or conductive samples. The system exploits a magnetically sensitive feature of NV centers near the ground state level anticrossing (GSLAC). An applied test field from a wire was mapped over an imaging area of $\approx 500 \times 470\,μ\text{m}^2$. Analysis of the GSLAC lineshape allows to extract vector information of the applied field. The device allows micrometer-scale magnetic imaging at a spatial resolution dominated by the thickness of the NV layer (here $50\,μ\text{m}$). For a pixel size of $4\,μ\text{m} \times 3.8\,μ\text{m}$ the estimated sensitivity is $4.8\,μ\text{T}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$. Two modalities for visualizing the magnetic fields, static and temporal, are presented along with a discussion of technical limitations and future extensions of the method.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Demonstration of diamond nuclear spin gyroscope

We demonstrate operation of a rotation sensor based on the $^{14}$N nuclear spins intrinsic to nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond. The sensor employs optical polarization and readout of the nuclei and a radio-frequency double-quantum pulse protocol that monitors $^{14}$N nuclear spin precession. This measurement protocol suppresses the sensitivity to temperature variations in the $^{14}$N quadrupole splitting, and it does not require microwave pulses resonant with the NV electron spin transitions. The device was tested on a rotation platform and demonstrated a sensitivity of 4.7 $^{\circ}/\sqrt{\rm{s}}$ (13 mHz/$\sqrt{\rm{Hz}}$), with bias stability of 0.4 $^{\circ}$/s (1.1 mHz).

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Fiberized diamond-based vector magnetometers

We present two fiberized vector magnetic-field sensors, based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. The sensors feature sub-nT/$\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}$ magnetic sensitivity. We use commercially available components to construct sensors with a small sensor size, high photon collection, and minimal sensor-sample distance. Both sensors are located at the end of optical fibres with the sensor-head freely accessible and robust under movement. These features make them ideal for mapping magnetic fields with high sensitivity and spatial resolution ($\leq$\,mm). As a demonstration we use one of the sensors to map the vector magnetic field inside the bore of a $\geq$ 100\,mT Halbach array. The vector field sensing protocol translates microwave spectroscopy data addressing all diamonds axes and including double quantum transitions to a 3D magnetic field vector.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Superfast collective motion of magnetic particles

It is well-known that magnetic forces can induce a formation of densely packed strings of magnetic particles or even sheafs of several strings (spindles). Here we show that in a sufficiently strong magnetic field, more complex aggregates of particles, translating with a much faster speed than would be for a single particle or even a spindle, can be assembled at the water-air interface. Such a superfast flotilla is composed of many distant strings or spindles, playing a role of its vessels, and moves, practically, as a whole. We provide theoretical results to interpret the effect of a collective motion of such magnetic vessels. Our theory shows that, in contrast to an isolated chain or spindle, which velocity grows logarithmically with the number of magnetic particles, the speed of the interface flotilla becomes much higher, being proportional to the square root of their number. These results may guide the design of magnetic systems for extremely fast controlled delivery.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

Variable single-axis magnetic-field generator using permanent magnets

We present a design for producing precisely adjustable and alternating single-axis magnetic fields based on nested Halbach dipole pairs consisting of permanent magnets only. Our design allows for three dimensional optical and mechanical access to a region with strong adjustable dipolar fields, is compatible with systems operating under vacuum, and does not effectively dissipate heat under normal operational conditions. We present a theoretical analysis of the properties and capabilities of our design, and construct a proof-of-concept prototype. Using our prototype, we demonstrate fields of up to several kilogauss with field homogeneities of better than 5%, which are harmonically modulated at frequencies of $\sim$1Hz with a power consumption of approximately 1W. Moreover, we discuss how our design can be modified to generate adjustable quadrupolar magnetic fields with gradients as large as 9.5T/m in a region of optical and mechanical access. Our design is scalable and can be constructed to be suitable for table-top experiments, as in the case of polarimetric and magnetometric setups that require strong alternating magnetic fields, but also for large scale applications such as generators.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Permanent magnet system to guide superparamagnetic particles

A new concept of permanent magnet systems for guiding superparamagnetic particles on arbitrary trajectories is proposed. The basic concept is to use one magnet system with a strong and homogeneous (dipolar) magnetic field to magnetize and orient the particles. A second constantly graded field (quadrupolar) is superimposed to the first to generate a force. In this configuration the motion of the particles is driven solely by the component of the gradient field which is parallel to the direction of the homogeneous field. Then the particles are guided with constant force in a single direction over the entire volume. The direction can be adjusted by varying the angle between quadrupole and dipole. Since a single gradient is impossible, the other gradient component determines the angular deviation of the force. The latter can be neglected if the homogeneous field is stronger than the local contribution of the gradient field. A possible realization is a coaxial arrangement of two Halbach cylinders. A dipole produces a strong and homogeneous field to evenly magnetize the particles, while the second cylinder is a quadrupole to generate the force. A simple prototype was constructed to demonstrate the principle on several nano-particles, which were moved along a rough square by manually changing the force angle. The observed velocities of particles were always several orders of magnitude higher than the theoretical value. This discrepancy is attributed to the observed formation of long particle chains as a result of their polarization by the homogeneous field. The magnetic moment of such a chain is then the combination of that of its constituents. A complete system will consist of another quadrupole (third cylinder) to additionally scale the strength of the force by another rotation. In this configuration the device could then also be used as a simple MRI machine to image the particles.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2015

Permanent Magnet System for MRI with Constant Gradient mechanically adjustable in Direction and Strength

A design for a permanent magnet system is proposed that generates spatially homogeneous, constant magnetic field gradients, thus creating conditions suitable for MRI without gradient coils and amplifiers. This is achieved by superimposing a weak Halbach quadrupole on a strong Halbach dipole. Rotation of either the quadrupole or the entire magnet assembly can be used to generate 2D images via filtered back-projection. Additionally, the mutual rotation of two quadrupoles can be used to scale the resulting gradient. If both gradients have identical strength the gradient can even be made to vanish. The concept is demonstrated by analytical considerations and FEM-simulations.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Spherical Fused Silica Cells Filled with Pure Helium for NMR-Magnetometry

High magnetic fields (> 1 T) are measured by NMR magnetometers with un-rivaled precision if the precessing spin sample provides long coherence times. The longest coherence times are found in diluted ${}^{3}$He samples, which can be hyperpolarized for sufficient signal strength. In order to have minimal influence on the homogeneity and value of the measured magnetic field the optimal container for the ${}^{3}$He should be a perfect sphere. A fused silica sphere with an inner diameter of 8 mm and an outer diameter of 12 mm was made from two hemispheres by diffusion bonding leaving only a small hole for cleaning and evacuation. This hole was closed in vacuum by a CO${}_{2}$ laser and the inner volume was filled with a few mbars of ${}^3$He via wall permeation. NMR-measurements on such a sample had coherence times of 5 min. While the hemispheres were produced with < 1 $μ$m deviation from sphericity, the bonding left a step of ca. 50 $μ$m at maximum. The influence of such a mismatch, its orientation and materials in the direct vicinity of the sample are analyzed by FEM-simulations and discussed in view of coherence times and absolute fields.

physics.ins-det↗