Polarimetry fiber optic gyroscope

Abstract

of the combined waves are simply the cosine and sine functions of the phase difference between the counter propagation waves, which is linearly proportional to the rotation rate, allowing precise determination of the rotation rate by polarization analysis. We build such a proof-of-concept polarimetry FOG and achieved key performance parameters comparable to those of a high-end tactical-grade gyroscope. In particular, the device shows a bias instability of 0.09°/h and an angular random walk of 0.0015°/h, with an unlimited dynamic range, demonstrating its potential use for rotation sensing. This new approach eliminates the need for phase modulation required in I-FOGs, and promotes easy photonics integration, enabling the development of low-cost FOGs for price-sensitive applications, such as autonomous and robotic vehicles.