MAGNETOMETERS :

The Earths magnetic field strength decreases with distance from the earth as 1/r , the use of magnetometers for spacecraft is limited to 1000 km. Magnetometers consist of two parts, 1. Magnetic sensor 2. Electronics unit that transforms sensor measurement in to a usable format.
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Magnetic field sensors are divided in to two categories, 1. Induction magnetometers (a) Search coil coil rotates due to spacecraft spin and EMF induced. (b) Flux gate. 2. Quantum magnetometers using fundamental atomic properties. Flux magnetometers: The primary coil with leads P1 and P2 is used to alternately drive the two s aturable cores SC1 and SC2 to states of opposite saturation. The presence of any ambient magnetic field may then be observed as the second harmonic of the current induced in the secondary coil with leads S1 and S2. The purpose of the two saturable cores wound in opposite directions is to cause the secondary coil to be insensitive to the primary frequency. Other geometries used to achieve primary and secondary decoupling utilize helical and toroidal cores.

Dual-core flux gate magnetometers Voltage across the primary coil has a triangular waveform of frequency 2/T and the amplitude of the resultant magnetic intensity is HD. The core elements saturate at a flux density of Bs, when the magnetic intensity reaches Hc. The net magnetic field is displaced from zero by the ambient magnetic intensity H.
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H Ambient magnetic intensity

The secondary coil will experience an induced EMF, Vs, while the core elements are being switched or the magnetic flux density is being gated from one saturated state to the other (hence the name flux gate). EMF will be induced only when flux changes magnetic induction. Vs consist of a train of pulses of width K1T, separated by time intervals K2T or (1-K2)T where,

1 =

2 =

1 2

or

= 1 22

The ambient magnetic intensity may then be derived from the pulse spacing.
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