Acceleration-insensitive opto-electronic oscillators

A method, comprising:

• providing an opto-electronic feedback loop that has an optical portion, an electrical portion, and an optical-to-electrical converter interconnecting the optical and electrical portion, wherein the opto-electronic feedback loop is coupled to an optical modulator to form a closed loop which is operable to produce a signal oscillation at an oscillating frequency;
• designing the optical portion to have at least a first optical delay element and a second optical delay element that are optically connected to each other in series so that the total optical delay is a sum of delays in the first and the second optical delay elements;
• and
• mechanically engaging and optically coupling the first and second optical elements to experience a common acceleration and to produce frequency shifts in opposite directions in the oscillating frequency to reduce a dependence of the oscillating frequency on the common acceleration.

A device, comprising:

• an optical modulator operable to receive and modulate a signal beam to produce modulation signals in said signal beam in response to a modulation control signal;
• and
• a feedback loop having an optical portion that receives a portion of said signal beam output from said optical modulator, an optical delay module in said optical portion, and an optical-to-electrical converter converting said portion into an output signal, wherein said feedback loop produces said modulation control signal from said output signal, and
• wherein said optical delay module includes a first fiber coil as a first optical delay element formed on a first spool along a first axis, and a second fiber coil as a second optical delay element formed on a second spool along a second axis, said first and said second fiber coils being optically connected to said first fiber coil in series and mechanically fixed relative to each other to have said first and said second axes be substantially parallel to respond to an acceleration of the device to cause a first frequency shift in said modulation control signal and a second, opposite frequency shift in said modulation control signal, respectively.

A device, comprising:

• a laser, having an active optical feedback loop with a first loop gain which supports laser oscillation to produce a laser output and which changes in response to a modulation control signal;
• and
• an opto-electronic feedback loop coupled to said active optical feedback loop to produce said modulation control signal in response to said laser output,
• wherein said opto-electronic feedback loop comprises an optical portion that receives a portion of said laser output, an optical delay module in said optical portion, and an optical-to-electrical converter converting said portion into an output signal, wherein said feedback loop produces said modulation control signal from said output signal, and
• wherein said optical delay module includes a first optical delay element responsive to an acceleration of the device to cause a first frequency shift in said modulation control signal and a second optical delay element optically connected to said first optical delay element and responsive to said acceleration to cause a second frequency shift in said modulation control signal that is opposite to said first frequency shift.