Method and apparatus for reducing rotational bias in a ring laser

摘要

Method and apparatus for reducing rotational bias error in a ring laser. The method includes the steps of varying a portion of an optical path for laser beams that emerge from a ring laser cavity along divergent paths and are subsequently combined along a common path to a detector. The apparatus of one embodiment includes a movable mirror positioned to intercept the laser beams emerging from the ring laser cavity before combination along a common path. The movable mirror may be piezo-electric transducive elements configured to bend on application of a voltage. The piezo-electric elements are provided with a reflective region that is positioned to redirect the laser beams from the ring laser back to an output coupling mirror so that re-reflection from the output mirror redirects the laser beams back into a beam combining optical element. In an alternative embodiment the detector is periodically displaced along an access parallel to the common path of the laser beam. In this embodiment piezo-electric elements are disposed between the beam combining optic and the detector to periodically displace the detector.