Matching of absolute observatory magnetometers was held at Borok IFZ RAN (Yaroslavskaya oblast) on September 28-29, 2024, organized by the Geophysical Center RAN and Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth RAS

The main task of the matching is the assessment of statistical errors of the magnetometers. The most recently, such a matching was made in 2017 at Arti observatory of the Institute of Geophysics UrO RAS.

In the world practice of magnetic observations, such events are organized every two years under IAGA, the latest was organized in May 2023 in Hungary and the next is planned to take place in November 2024 in Brazil.

Magnetologists from Russian scientific and educational organizations participated in the matching: Borok Geophysical Observatory (GO) of IFZ RAN (IAGA-code of the observatory is BOX), IKIR FEB RAS (Paratunka, GO Paratuka, IAGA-code is PET), Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SO RAN (Irkutsk, Magnetic Observatory Patrony, IAGA-code is IRT), Institute of Geophysics UrO RAS (Ekaterinburg, GO Arti, IAGA-code is ARS), Institute of Mining UrO RAS (Perm), Kazan Federal University (Kazan, Magnetic Observatory Raifa”, IAGA-code is KZN), Geophysical Center RAS, Sadovsky Institute of Geophsere Dynamics RAS (Moscow, GO Mikhnevo, IAGA-code MHV).

Leading Researcher of the Complex GO Paratunka, Cand. of Sci. (Phys.-Math.) Khomutov S.Yu., participated in the matching from IKIR FEB RAS.

The reference scalar magnetometer POS-1 was presented by the Laboratory of Quantum Magnetometry of UrPhU, Ekaterinburg. In total, 14 devices were matched, 7 of them are declinometers/inclinometers, 6 scalar magnetometers and 1 vector absolute magnetometer POS-4.

During the two days, the participants made measurements on all the devices and preliminary processed the results. The estimates of systematic instrumentational errors of the magnetometers, obtained after the complete processing, will allow the scientists to maintain the measuring unity of the Earth magnetic field monitoring carried out by the Russian observatories and will provide high-quality data according to the international INTERMAGNET standards.

Within the scientific program of the event, the leading specialists-magnetologists of Russia discussed current state, problems and perspectives of development of the national network of stationary geomagnetic observations.

Success of the matching was mainly determined by the unique infrastructure of Borok magnetic observatory which is a part of INTERMAGNET. In particular, the observatory infrastructure made it possible to realize the matching of a large number of devices and to accommodate the participants in the hotel close to the observatory. The matching results are planned to be published in a top-rated scientific journal.