Resonant optical gyroscope with ‘reflector’: analysis and simulations

Abstract

We propose using theoretical analysis and simulations, a gyroscope that uses a ring resonator with a reflecting element. The proposed structure utilizes the rotation induced Sagnac shift along with the inherent coupling between the clockwise and counter clockwise waves to produce changes in the reflected intensity that vary linearly with rotation. Shot noise limited sensitivities of 0.01 deg/h are shown possible for rings of radius 10 cm. While traditional resonant fiber optic gyroscopes require very careful control of the power difference of two oppositely circulating waves derived from an expensive laser of linewidth about 5–10 kHz using special components, our scheme should allow the use of a laser source with linewidth of about 500 kHz to achieve similar performances, without the requirement of additional components.