Distributed fiber optic sensor for intense magnetic field mapping

We describe a novel distributed fiber optic sensor, which is able to map both strength and orientation of intense static magnetic fields in the area spanned by the fiber. The sensor is based on Faraday rotation and on polarization analysis of the field backscattered by the fiber due to Rayleigh scattering. The small Verdet constant of standard silica fibers makes the proposed technique most suited to intense magnetic fields.