Studies of Phase-Conjugate Optical Device Concepts
Abstract
Phase-conjugate gyroscopy is a new area promising significant advances in state-of-the-art inertial navigation. This contract demonstrated the first phase-conjugate fiber-optic gyros (PCFOG's) and their ability to use low cost multimode fiber components. The development of the PCFOG is now at the stage where its sources of noise and drift can be isolated, and its competitiveness with conventional fiber optic gyros can be tested. To come to this stage in development, several scientific and technical issues had to be resolved. For example, to correct for the modal scrambling of multimode fibers, the theory and practice of polarization preserving conjugators that worked at milliwatt power levels had to be developed and tested. Another issue was the mutual coherence requirement for two beams interacting with a self-pumped conjugator that at first restricted the PCFOG from using the most desireable form of biasing (fast phase modulation). This issue was resolved only recently when a new class of phase conjugators (mutually pumped conjugators) was developed that have the ability to operate with mutually incoherent beams. Almost as quickly as the first mutually pumped conjugators were discovered, this contract demonstrated the first PCFOG to use one. In addition to, and in the process of developing the PCFOG, this contract investigated several new photorefractive phenomena.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA206219
Entities
People
- I.c. Mcmichael
- P. A. Yeh