- THE MAGAZINE - WEB EXCLUSIVES The Matesy GmbH, Jena, Germany,
has explored a new magneto-optical sensor type (MO-sensors) for
direct field visualization and measurement. Instead of
electromagnetic effects, Matesy introduces magneto-optics for
two-dimensional magnetic field analysis. The magneto-optical
sensor has the technical advantage that the magnetic field and
its distribution can be visually recognized over the entire
magnetic surface. Therefore, real-time analysis of the magnetic
field distribution can be performed, instead of using a time
intensive “point to point” scanning with hall probes, which need
a precise positioning on the surface. THE FARADAY-EFFECTThe
principle of magneto-optical sensors is the Faraday-Effect. It
describes the rotation of the polarization plane of linearly
polarized light passing the magneto-optical sensor, which is
exposed by a magnetic field, which is parallel to the direction
of propagation of the applied light wave. More specifically,
linearly polarized light consists o