Orthogonal polarization fiber gyroscope with increased stability and resolution

The orthogonal polarization fiber gyroscope (OPFG) is an interferometric fiber gyroscope design that requires no phase bias in the fiber ring and is insensitive to light-source intensity noise. However, in the original OPFG [Hitachi Rev. 33, 215 (1984)], environmental changes caused first-order false rotation signals. We propose and experimentally verify modifications that eliminate the first-order sensitivity to environmental changes and that improve the gyroscope's resolution as well. We believe that this modified OPFG is the first interferometric fiber gyroscope capable of stable, high-sensitivity measurement that contains only reciprocal optical elements.