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Frontiers in Optics

Slow and Superluminal Light Enhanced Ultrahigh Precision Optical Rotation Sensing

M. S. Shahriar, G. S. Pati, Renu Tripathi, Venkatesh Gopal, M. Messall, K. Salit

Published Jan 1, 2005• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We show how ultrahigh precision optical rotation sensing can be realized using slow and superluminal light propagation in a passive cavity or an interferometer. Resonant phenomena with appropriate dispersive chacteristics are proposed for experimental realization.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2005.jtuc55

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We describe a resonator-based optical gyroscope whose sensitivity for measuring absolute rotation is enhanced via use of the anomalous dispersion characteristic of superluminal light propagation. The enhancement is given by the inverse of the group index, saturating to a bound determined by the group velocity dispersion. We also show how the offsetting effect of the concomitant broadening of the resonator linewidth may be circumvented by using an active cavity. For realistic conditions, the enhancement factor is as high as 106{10}^{6}106. We also show how normal dispersion used for slow light can enhance relative rotation sensing in a specially designed Sagnac interferometer, with the enhancement given by the slowing factor.
We show that group velocity of light far exceeding the vacuum speed can be realized when a medium that produces a narrow band dip in the gain profile is placed inside a ring laser. The dip leads to an effective negative dispersion, which can be tuned to produce a very small group index. The rotational sensitivity of the ring laser is enhanced by a factor equaling the inverse of the group index. For a realistic system, the enhancement factor can be as high as 1.8*105. In order to realize such a device, the background gain can be produced by using, for example, an optically pumped Ti:Sapphire crystal, a semiconductor optical amplifier, or a diode pumped alkali laser. The narrow dip can be produced, for example, by a Rb cell configured for Raman depletion. Here, we present the theoretical model behind such a superluminal laser, and describe a preliminary experiment for realizing such a device.
We report the experimental observation of enhanced rotation sensing in a slow-light structure. We demonstrate that the differential of the phase difference, introduced by rotation, between the counterpropagating waves is proportional to the group index, and thus we can obtain large rotation sensitivity in the slow-light structure with high dispersion (large group index). The results also predict the realization of highly sensitive and compact integrated rotation sensors and gyroscopes by using microwaveguides.
Precise positioning and motion tracking are enabling development of key technologies in numerous fields of research and applications such as control, navigation, stabilization, and positioning systems for robotics, medical-imaging applications, virtual reality, computer games, and many more. While rotation sensing can be based on both mechanical and optical effects, optical gyroscopes provide the highest sensitivity and accuracy. Although the details may vary depending on the specific implementation, all optical rotation sensors exploit the Sagnac effect,1 i.e., the interference pattern resulting from the different phase shifts of waves propagating in a circular path along and opposite the direction of rotation. The classical Sagnac phase shift is determined solely by the angular velocity, the optical frequency, and the area enclosed by the closed-loop optical path, and completely independent of the medium’s other properties such as the index of refraction and its dispersion properties.2 This century-old result has been the subject of ongoing debate for several decades, both because of its fundamental nature and because it inherently limits the feasibility of attaining highly sensitive miniaturized rotation sensors. Specifically, it implies that the only ways to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of optical gyroscopes are to either increase the optical frequency or enlarge the gyro’s area. In practice, both approaches are limited. Recent studies have pointed out the advantages of exploiting the Sagnac effect, generated by electronic resonances, in slow-3 and fast-light4 media (i.e., in which the group velocity is substantially smaller or larger than the speed of light) for fabrication of ultrasensitive optical gyroscopes. However, material properties based on slow/fast-light media suffer from inherent limitations and drawbacks. In particular, such systems are bulky, lossy, require very low temperatures, and are limited to specific wavelengths according to the material’s electronic andoptical properties. Instead, we have been focusing on photonic-resonance-based structures,5, 6 taking advantage of their flexibility, compact dimensions, and excellent optical Figure 1. Schematic of a coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW).