Events Calendar
Development of an Optically Pumped Magnetometer Array for Magnetoencephalography
Thursday March 9, 2017
11:00 am
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Presenter: | Dr. Peter Schwindt, Sandia National Laboratories |
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Series: | OSE Seminars | |
Abstract: | Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is the measurement of the magnetic fields produced by the human brain. The primary magnetic sensor used for MEG is the super conducting quantum interference device (SQUID). Low-Tc SQUIDs must be operated within a liquid helium Dewar, and this cryogenic infrastructure adds significant size, expense, and complexity to SQUID-based MEG systems. In recent years, optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have demonstrated sub-femtotesla sensitivities and have emerged as potential replacements for SQUIDs in MEG applications. There have been several demonstrations of using OPMs to measure MEG signals. Following these demonstrations, there are several groups developing multi-channel OPM arrays to localize magnetic sources within the brain. My group is working to develop a complete MEG system including a person-sized magnetic shield and a 20-channel array of OPMs. The current goal is to use the array to localize the magnetic sources in the auditory and somatosensory cortices associated with auditory and median nerve stimulation respectively. In this talk I will present the development of our OPM-based MEG system, the performance our OPM array in the person-sized shield, and the results of preliminary studies with human subjects, including preliminary localization results of magnetic sources. | |
Location: | Room 103, Center for High Tech Materials | |