Context: Recently,  Indian scientists have developed an indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer, one of the most accurate magnetometers extensively used by all magnetic observatories around the world.

India’s First Indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer

• It is developed by the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), an autonomous research institution under DST, Government of India.

• It is installed at the Alibag Magnetic Observatory (MO) and has the potential to reduce India’s reliance on commercial OVH magnetometers for geomagnetic field measurements.

• It accurately reproduced the geomagnetic diurnal variations accurately and precisely showed the signatures of various space weather events such as geomagnetic storms, sudden impulses, etc.

Overhauser Magnetometer

• A magnetometer is a device that measures the magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment.

• Our earth is a gigantic magnet. Experiments show that variations in the Earth’s magnetic field are linked to a variety of weather phenomena. As a result, scientists all over the world can consistently measure changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.

• OVH magnetometers are known for their higher accuracy, higher sensitivity, and efficient power consumption and hence find applications in all magnetic observatories worldwide as well as in international space programs.