Optical gyroscope with weak measurement amplification readout
AssigneeDRS Network & Imaging Systems, LLC
InventorsMarco A. Lopez, Andrew Jordan, Kevin Lyons, John Steinmetz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A photonic device for detecting rotation and a corresponding method for operation thereof are disclosed. The photonic device includes a readout structure coupled to a ring resonator at one or more coupling points. Light is split between a lower waveguide and an upper waveguide of the readout structure in a forward direction at a beam splitter. The light in the waveguides traveling in the forward direction is coupled into the ring resonator and subsequently back into the waveguides in a reverse direction. The light is spatially phase tilted and is combined at the beam splitter. The combined light is detected by a split detector.
Claims20
A method of detecting a rotation of a photonic device, the method comprising:
- inputting light into a readout structure;
- splitting, at a beam splitter, the light between a lower waveguide and an upper waveguide of the readout structure in a forward direction;
- coupling the light in the lower waveguide traveling in the forward direction and the light in the upper waveguide traveling in the forward direction into a ring resonator at one or more coupling points;
- coupling the light in the ring resonator into the lower waveguide and the upper waveguide in a reverse direction at the one or more coupling points;
- spatially phase tilting, by one or more spatial phase tilters, one or both of the light in the lower waveguide and the light in the upper waveguide;
- combining, at the beam splitter, the light in the lower waveguide traveling in the reverse direction and the light in the upper waveguide traveling in the reverse direction to form output light;
- and
- detecting the output light, wherein the rotation is calculated based on the output light.
A photonic device comprising:
- a ring resonator;
- and
- a readout structure coupled to the ring resonator at one or more coupling points, the readout structure comprising:
- a lower waveguide and an upper waveguide;
- an input port coupled to the lower waveguide or the upper waveguide, the input port configured to receive light;
- a beam splitter for splitting the light between the lower waveguide and the upper waveguide in a forward direction and for combining the light in the lower waveguide traveling in a reverse direction and the light in the upper waveguide traveling in the reverse direction to form output light;
- one or more spatial phase tilters for spatially phase tilting one or both of the light in the lower waveguide and the light in the upper waveguide;
- and
- a detector for detecting the output light;
- wherein the photonic device is configured to:
- couple the light in the lower waveguide traveling in the forward direction and the light in the upper waveguide traveling in the forward direction into the ring resonator at the one or more coupling points;
- and
- couple the light in the ring resonator into the lower waveguide and the upper waveguide in a reverse direction at the one or more coupling points.
A photonic device comprising:
- a ring resonator;
- and
- a readout structure coupled to the ring resonator at one or more coupling points, the readout structure comprising:
- an input port for receiving light;
- a lower waveguide and an upper waveguide for carrying the light in both a forward direction and a reverse direction;
- a beam splitter formed between the lower waveguide and the upper waveguide for splitting the light;
- one or more spatial phase tilters formed on the lower waveguide or the upper waveguide for spatially phase tilting the light;
- and
- a detector for detecting the light traveling in the reverse direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.