It has been proposed that fast-light optical phenomena can increase the sensitivity of a Ring Laser Gyroscope (RLG) of a given size by several orders of magnitude. MagiQ is developing a compact fully-fibered fast light RLG using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) in commercial optical fiber. We will discuss our experimental results on SBS pumped lasing in commercial fibers and analyze their implications to the fast light generation. Based on these results, we envision a fast light enhanced Ring Laser Gyroscope (RLG) that will use only a few meters of fiber and require moderate pump power (only a few 100’s of mW). We will present the design that is based on proven, commercially available technologies. By using photonic integrated circuits and telecom-grade fiber components, we created a design that is appropriate for mass production in the near term. We eliminated all free-space optical elements (such as atomic vapor cells), in order to enable a compact, high sensitivity RLG stable against environmental disturbances. Results of this effort will have benefits in existing applications of RLGs (such as inertial navigation units, gyrocompasses, and stabilization techniques), and will allow wider use of RLGs in spacecraft, unmanned aerial vehicles or sensors, where the current size and weight of optical gyros are prohibitive.

Date Published: 29 May 2013
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 8722, Fiber Optic Sensors and Applications X, 87220J (29 May 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2015892

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8722:
Fiber Optic Sensors and Applications X
Eric Udd; Gary Pickrell; Henry H. Du; Jerry J. Benterou; Xudong Fan; Alexis Mendez; Stephen J. Mihailov; Anbo Wang; Hai Xiao, Editor(s)