During the third iteration of the OSCAR project (see also 'how OSCAR-QUBE came to be'), we developed a diamond-based quantum magnetometer to map magnetic fields. The European Space Agency, ESA, selected OSCAR-QUBE within their “Orbit Your Thesis!” project to be given a place aboard the space station ISS. From here, our magnetometer will map the magnetic field around the Earth in 3D for 10 months.

Our technology works like a compass. The magnetometer detects magnetic fields. But unlike the compass, our device does this in three dimensions and with a very high resolution and wide dynamic range.

Furthermore, it works based on two techniques where we use both an optical and an electronic way of measurement.

In the optical way, we shine a green laser on the diamond. This then gives us back a red light. We detect here from the brightness, while subjecting our diamond to microwaves. The changes in brightness that result are crucial in determining the magnetic field that surrounds the sensor.

Secondly, the photoelectric part, the green laser shines on the diamond and it is still exposed to microwaves. In this technique, however, we are not going to optically observe how bright the red light is that the diamond produces. We are rather looking at current differences that can be measured across the diamond. So here the current is crucial for us experiments we can derive the magnetic field from this.

Aboard the space station ISS, we will perform measurements for 10 months [VT1].

We measure the magnetic field of the earth and solar storms that occur.

The QUBE itself was designed and built from scratch. It started as an idea that was based on the experience from the previous iterations OSCAR and OSCAR-QLITE. The first thing to do was to make a long list of all the requirements the device had to fulfil. Going from the scientific requirements all the way to safety requirements in order to not pose a danger for the crew onboard the ISS. Next step is to make a design that would meet all those requirements. After the design is finished, it has become a reality. To make this as easy as possible and to allow for the ability to work on everything separately in order to come up with a finished product that is reliable and robust, we started with a testbench. By replacing all the commercial lab equipment by our own custom build designs, we were able to finetune each individual subsystem and debug easily to correct any flaws. When each subsystem was fine tuned to satisfaction, we proceeded to combine these individual subsystems into one complete system. Further fine tuning steps followed together with a lot of testing to get to a reliable and robust device. It was not only important to test the functionality of the QUBE, but also if we are compatible with the requirements that were imposed by ESA for it to be safe for the ISS crew. These tests included a vibration test to make sure we would survive the ride on the rocket, EMI/EMC test to make sure we were not going to disturb any equipment and many more which we all passed. So after the OSCAR-QUBE test campaign was completed, it was time to wrap it up for shipping and wave goodbye as it went off to Kennedy Space Center for payload integration.

Are you an UHasselt student? Are you interested in being part of the team and learning more hands-on and soft-skills? If quantum science or space engineering excites you, and you want to obtain experience with research and development of a real application, don't hesitate to contact us!

Would you like to support our student project? Or are you interested in how the technology we are developing can benefit your use-case? Please feel free to contact us via the email below!