Frequency locking for asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer coupler-based Brillouin lasers

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Inertial Navigation Systems
• Fiber Optic Sensing

Background:

• Brillouin fiber-optic gyroscopes (BFOGs) are crucial for inertial navigation but face challenges like low coupling efficiency and complex frequency locking.
• Existing BFOG designs are often bulky and inefficient, limiting their practical implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact and efficient resonator for BFOGs using an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer coupler (AMZIC).
• To propose a dedicated frequency-locking scheme tailored for the unique Brillouin spectrum.
• To improve the overall performance and robustness of BFOGs for practical applications.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer coupler (AMZIC)-based resonator.
• Development and application of a specialized frequency-locking scheme for the butterfly-shaped Brillouin spectrum.
• Experimental validation of the proposed system's performance metrics.

Main Results:

• Achieved a low threshold power of 27.44 mW.
• Utilized a compact resonator with a length of 5.9 m.
• Demonstrated a high polarization extinction ratio of 31 dB.
• Maintained stable frequency locking for over 4000 seconds.

Conclusions:

• The AMZIC-based resonator effectively addresses key challenges in BFOGs, including low coupling efficiency and complex frequency locking.
• The proposed frequency-locking scheme ensures robust and stable operation.
• The demonstrated performance metrics highlight the system's potential for practical and high-performance BFOG applications in inertial navigation.