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Picosecond pulsed diode ring laser gyroscope

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Abstract

Current ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs) are limited in sensitivity at low rotational rates by frequency locking. Various approaches have been used to mitigate locking, such as reducing the amount of scattered light from optical elements or mechanically dithering the cavity.1 We have demonstrated a novel RLG by actively mode-locking a pair of 1.3 μm InGaAsP diodes in an external ring cavity to generate counterpropagating 100-ps optical pulses that collide between the diodes away from any potential scatterers.2 Isolating the collision points between the diodes sharply reduces the lockin threshold of the gyro below that observed when the laser is run cw.3 By varying the current applied to an intracavity Faraday rotator, we have established that the measured beat frequency changes linearly with nonreciprocal phase shift. To the limits of our resolution (currently 20 kHz), no frequency locking behavior is observed. If we purposely reflect a fraction of the output light back into the cavity using retroreflectors, we observe a frequency locking bandwidth that is in good agreement with theory. Translation of the retroreflectors by more than one pulse width causes the lock-band to disappear. With tighter control of various noise sources (current and temperature fluctuations, vibrations, etc.) an allsolid-state device capable of measuring the earth’s rotation without locking may be attainable.

© 1991 Optical Society of America

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