micotesla

Micotesla is a unit of magnetic flux density in the International System of Units (SI). It is a submultiple of the tesla, which is defined as one newton per ampere-meter or one volt-second per square meter. The prefix "micro" denotes a factor of one millionth, so one micotesla is equal to 10^-6 teslas.

This unit is commonly used to express very small magnetic field strengths. For example, the Earth's magnetic field at the surface is typically around 25 to 65 teslas, which translates to 25,000 to 65,000 micoteslas. Similarly, many everyday electronic devices, such as household appliances and power lines, generate magnetic fields that are often measured in the micotesla range.

The micotesla is a practical unit for describing the magnetic field exposure levels that individuals might encounter in their daily lives. Scientific instruments designed to detect weak magnetic fields, such as magnetometers used in geophysical surveys or medical imaging techniques like MRI (though MRI is typically measured in teslas), might also report their measurements in micoteslas depending on the sensitivity required. Its use helps to standardize and simplify the reporting of these small magnetic field values.