Demonstration of a folded Sagnac sensor array immune to polarization-induced signal fading.
We demonstrate a new folded Sagnac sensor array design that combines a Faraday rotator mirror and a polarization beam splitter to eliminate the optical noise pulses otherwise generated in a folded Sagnac sensor array. A depolarization scheme compatible with this configuration is also proposed and demonstrated experimentally. It is shown that this new configuration passively eliminates polarization-induced signal fading on every sensor in the array. The minimum detectable phase was measured to be approximately 1.1 microrad/square root of Hz, in agreement with theory.
Vakoc
Benjamin J
BJ
Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, 450 Via Palou, Stanford, California 94305-4085, USA.
Digonnet
Michel J F
MJ
Kino
Gordon S
GS