Passive ring resonator method for sensitive inertial rotation measurements in geophysics and relativity.
As part of a program to develop sensitive laser inertial rotation sensors, we have studied the performance of a passive-resonator technique using a 0.7-m x 0.7-m optical cavity. For an averaging time tau of 10 sec, the random drift was 1.1 x10(-2) deg/h, which was consistent with the shot-noise limit for the present setup. For a longer averaging time the random drift was 5.6 x 10(-3) deg/h (tau = 90 sec), showing a slight departure from the shot-noise limit. The problems encountered in the present apparatus, as well as those that are critical in the development of much larger esonators for geophysics and relativity applications, are discussed.
Sanders
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Prentiss
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Ezekiel
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