Single-frequency external-cavity semiconductor    ring-laser gyroscope.
We report for the first time (to our knowledge) the experimental achievement of a single-frequency ring-laser gyroscope using a diode-pumped half-vertical-cavity semiconductor-emitting laser structure as a gain medium. Thanks to the control of mode competition by an active feedback loop, we observe a beat signal from recombined beams that has a frequency proportional to the rotation rate as predicted by the Sagnac effect. This promising result opens new perspectives for rotation sensing.
Mignot
Augustin
A
Thales Research and Technology France, RD 128, Palaiseau Cedex, France.
Feugnet
Gilles
G
Schwartz
Sylvain
S
Sagnes
Isabelle
I
Garnache
Arnaud
A
Fabre
Claude
C
Pocholle
Jean-Paul
JP