Laser accelerometer

Abstract

An optical element formed of birefringent material is placed in the resonant optical beam path of a gas laser. A proof mass is fixedly attached to the birefringent element to form an integral unit therewith, this unit being contained within the same chamber as the lasing gas. Means are provided to subject the laser beam to a transverse magnetic field which effectively operates to keep the beam separated into E and O rays which are polarized in orthogonal relationship to each other. The proof mass is affixed to the birefringent element so that when such mass is subjected to an acceleration along a predetermined axis, the force arising from this acceleration will be transferred to the birefringent element, there being substantially no transfer of acceleration forces to this element along other axes. The index of refraction of the birefringent material changes in response to the acceleration input received thereby, the index of refraction change seen by each of the cross polarized beams being different. This results in a frequency difference between these two beams that is proportional to the acceleration input and is measured by a detector.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.