Leland Stanford Junior University

Byoung Y Kim

Herbert J Shaw

Michel J Digonnet

James N Blake

Kenneth A Fesler

Moshe Tur

Janet L Brooks

Karen Liu

Paul F Wysocki

Hee G Park

Wayne V Sorin

John J Fling

Robert C Youngquist

James S Bunn, Jr

Emmanuel Desurvire

Kjell Blotekjaer

Robert H Wentworth

Sidney L Carrara

Helege E Engan

Helge E Engan

Shangyuan Huang

An interferometer used as a rotation sensor is constructed using a strand of optical fiber, a portion of which is formed into a sensing loop. A pair of light waves are caused to counterpropagate in the sensing loop and are combined to form an optical output signal that has an intensity that varies in accordance with the difference in the phases of the two counterpropagating light waves. A phase modulator is positioned on the optical fiber in the sensing loop at a location such that the two counterpropagating light waves are modulated approximately 180 degrees out of phase. The time-varying phase modulation causes a time-varying phase difference that is combined with a rotationally-induced Sagnac effect phase to provide a total phase difference that is detected by a photodetector. The photodetector provides an electrical output signal that is processed to determine the Sagnac phase difference. The rotation rate is then calculated from the Sagnac phase difference. The processing occurs in a feedback loop in which a reference signal is multiplied by the electrical output signal to provide a feedback signal. The reference signal is adjusted so that the feedback signal is maintained at a predetermined value. The magnitude of the adjustment of the reference signal is measured and the Sagnac phase difference is determined from the measured magnitude.

Optical fiber sensor having digital integrating detection system

A laser source comprises an optical fiber doped with a homogeneously broadened lasing medium, preferably with Erbium, pumped by a laser pump source and an intracavity acousto-optic modulator. When the acousto-optic modulator is driven by a variable frequency source, the Erbium fluorescence line emitted by the Erbium-doped optical fiber can be electronically tuned. In another embodiment, an electronic sweep waveform is used to frequency modulate the acoustic signal produced by the acousto-optic modulator. Without the low-rate frequency modulation, Erbium in a silica optical fiber is a mostly homogeneously broadened gain medium with a narrow laser linewidth. When measured on a long time scale, low-rate frequency modulation provides a broader spectral width, on the order of 19 nm, which makes such a source an ideal source for certain optical applications such as fiber optic gyroscopes.

Broadband laser source

A passive quadrature phase detection system for coherent fiber systems includes first and second optical detectors positioned to receive an output signal from the output end of an optical signal apparatus such as an interferometer, or the like. The optical signal from the apparatus includes light propagating in two propagation modes. As the light propagates away from the output end of the apparatus from the near field to the far field, the light in the two modes undergoes a relative phase shift of .pi./2 in accordance with the Guoy effect. The two detectors are positioned such that the first detector detects the intensity of light resulting from the interference between the two modes in the near field of the output signal, and such that the second detector detects the intensity of light resulting from the interference between the two modes in the far field of the output signal. The additional .pi./2 phase difference introduced between the two modes as the light propagates from the near field light to the far field causes the detected light intensities to be in phase quadrature. Electrical signals proportional to the detected light intensities can be processed to determine changes in the phase difference between the two modes within the apparatus. In preferred embodiments, the detection of the near field light intensity is accomplished at a position optically displaced from the output end of the apparatus.

Passive quadrature phase detection system for coherent fiber optic

A laser source comprises an optical fiber doped with a homogeneously broadened lasing medium, preferably with Erbium, pumped by a laser pump source and an intracavity acousto-optic modulator. When the acousto-optic modulator is driven by a variable frequency source, the Erbium fluorescence line emitted by the Erbium-doped optical fiber can be electronically tuned. In another embodiment, an electronic sweep waveform is used to frequency modulate the acoustic signal produced by the acousto-optic modulator. Without the low-rate frequency modulation, Erbium in a silica optical fiber is a mostly homogeneously broadened gain medium with a narrow laser linewidth. When measured on a long time scale, low-rate frequency modulation provides a broader spectral width, on the order of 19 nm, which makes such a source on an ideal source for certain optical applications such as fiber optic gyroscopes.

An optical fiber is subjected to a series of traveling flexural waves propagating along a length of the fiber. At least a portion of an optical signal propagating within the optical fiber in a first propagation mode is coupled to a second propagation mode. The optical signal in the second propagation mode has a frequency which is equal to either the sum of or the difference between the frequency of the optical signal in the first propagation mode and the frequency of the traveling flexural waves. The frequency of the optical signal in the second propagation mode is shifted upward or downward from the frequency of the optical signal in the first propagation mode as determined by the direction of propagation of the first optical signal with respect to the direction of propagation of the traveling flexural waves, and as also determined by whether the phase propagation velocity of the optical signal in the first propagation mode is greater than or less than the propagation velocity of the optical signal in the second propagation mode. An acoustic wave is induced in a generator having a gradual tapered cross-section. The generator preferably has the shape of a horn and is coaxially mounted with said optical fiber, so as to suppress the acoustic wave induced in the optical fiber in the reverse direction.

Fiber optic intermode coupling single sideband frequency shifter

An optical fiber laser includes a single-mode optical fiber doped with a lasing material such as Neodymium. The optical fiber is pumped with a pump optical signal having a pump wavelength selected to cause spontaneous emission of an optical signal at a second wavelength different from the pump wavelength. The optical fiber is formed into a laser cavity such as by including a suitable reflector at each of the two ends of a suitable length of the optical fiber so that the emitted optical signal oscillates therein. One of the reflectors has a reflectivity at the wavelength of the emitted light so that most (e.g., approximately 95%) of the emitted light is reflected back into the laser cavity and a smaller portion (e.g, approximately 5%) is transmitted through the mirror as a laser output signal. Alternatively, the optical fiber can be formed into a ring laser structure using an optical coupler that couples a substantial portion (e.g., approximately 95%) of the emitted light back into the ring for recirculation therein and provides a smaller portion of the emitted light (e.g., approximately 5%) as a laser output signal. The wavelength of the pump optical signal is selected to be outside the pump variable tuning range of the Neodymium-doped optical fiber (i.e., the range of pump wavelengths which stimulate emitted wavelengths having a average wavelengths with a generally one-to-one correspondence to the pump wavelength). Pumping with a pump signal outside the pump variable tuning ranges causes the emitted light to have a broad spectral envelope of longitudinal modes having emission wavelengths corresponding to substantially all the pump variable tuning range. Thus, by pumping the optical fiber with a single pump wavelength, a broadband laser output signal is generated.

Broadband optical fiber laser

A re-entrant fiber optic interferometer comprises an optical fiber, forming a loop for recirculating an optical signal in the loop. The loop of optical fiber comprises an active material which emits photons at a first wavelength and responds to pumping in a second wavelength. Signal light at the first wavelength is input to the loop for circulation therein, and pump light at the second wavelength is input to the loop to optically pump the active material to emit light at the first wavelength. The invention also includes a multiplexing coupler which has different coupling ratios for the pump light and the signal light, such that only a fraction of the signal light is coupled out of the loop on each circulation about the loop, but substantially all of the pump light is coupled out of the loop after a single circulation, thereby suppressing pump phase noise in the loop.

Reentrant fiber raman gyroscope

A superfluorescent broadband fiber laser source comprises a fiber doped with laser material coupled to a multiplexing coupler. In the preferred embodiment, a source of pumping illumination provides pumping light to the doped fiber, and the coupler is adjusted to have a 0% coupling efficiency at the wavelength of the source. The pumping light is sufficiently intense to produce amplified spontaneous emission within the doped fiber, and gives rise to a forward signal and a backward signal. One of the superfluorescent signals is reflected back to the doped fiber by a reflector cemented to one end of the doped fiber or to one end of another fiber through the coupling function of the coupler. The coupler is adjusted to provide complete coupling at the frequency of the lasing light. The temperature dependence of the coupler can be selected to reduce or cancel the temperature dependence of the superfluorescent signal. Other arrangements utilizing the multiplexing properties of the coupler are also described. An all-fiber reflector can also be used.

Superfluorescent broadband fiber laser source

An apparatus utilizes a two-mode optical waveguide with a non-circular core to provide stable spatial intensity patterns in both propagation modes for light propagating therein. The light has a wavelength, and the non-circular core has cross-sectional dimensions selected such that (1) the waveguide propagates light at that wavelength in a fundamental mode and a higher order mode, and (2) substantially all of the light in the higher order mode propagates in only a single, stable intensity pattern. Embodiments of the invention include, for example, modal couplers, frequency shifters, mode selectors and interferometers. One of the interferometer embodiments may be used as a strain gauge.

Apparatus using two-mode optical waveguide with non-circular core

An optical mode coupling apparatus includes an optical waveguide in which an optical signal at a signal wavelength propagates in a first spatial propagation mode and a second spatial propagation mode of the waveguide. The optical signal propagating in the waveguide has a beat length. The coupling apparatus includes a source of perturbational light signal at a perturbational wavelength that propagates in the waveguide in the first spatial propagation mode. The perturbational signal has a sufficient intensity distribution in the waveguide that it causes a perturbation of the effective refractive index of the first spatial propagation mode of the waveguide in accordance with the optical Kerr effect. The perturbation of the effective refractive index of the first spatial propagation mode of the optical waveguide causes a change in the differential phase delay in the optical signal propagating in the first and second spatial propagation modes. The change in the differential phase delay is detected as a change in the intensity distribution between two lobes of the optical intensity distribution pattern of an output signal. The perturbational light signal can be selectively enabled and disabled to selectively change the intensity distribution in the two lobes of the optical intensity distribution pattern.

Dynamic couplers using two-mode optical waveguides

A fiber optic rotation sensor using birefringent optical fiber includes an uncorrelating element, an equalizing element and a polarizer in the common input and output fiber portions of the sensor to reduce or eliminate the intensity type phase errors caused by interference between lightwaves originally in the same polarization mode on entry to the sensor loop that cross couple into another polarization mode. In the preferred embodiment, the uncorrelating element comprises a birefringence modulator and a length of birefringent fiber. The equalizing element comprises a birefringent fiber having a splice at which the axes of birefringence of the spliced portions of the fiber are positioned at 45.degree. relative to each other. The preferred embodiment also advantageously includes a birefringence modulator that introduces a time-varying birefringence into the optical fiber to introduce a deterministic phase error that reduces or eliminates amplitude type phase error caused by coherent interference between field components of light that are orthogonally polarized at the input of the sensor loop and that couple to the same polarization mode within the loop.

Fiber optic rotation sensor utilizing high birefringence fiber and

A system and method for detecting the influence of selected forces on an interferometer over an extended dynamic range. One presently preferred embodiment is disclosed for detecting rotation of an interferometer. In this embodiment, an open-loop, all-fiber-optic gyroscope provides an output signal comprising the phase difference of two light waves which are counterpropagating within the gyroscope, and which are phase modulated at a selected frequency. The phase difference of the light waves is influenced by the rotation rate of the interferometer. The output signal is amplitude modulated at the phase modulation frequency to transpose the optical phase shift into a low frequency electronic phase shift, which is measured using a digital time interval counter. A linear scale factor is achieved through use of this system and method.

Phase reading fiber optic interferometer

An optical fiber is subjected to a series of traveling flexural waves propagating along a length of the fiber. At least a portion of an optical signal propagating within the optical fiber in a first propagation mode is coupled to a second propagation mode. The optical signal in the second propagation mode has a frequency which is equal to either the sum of or the difference between the frequency of the optical signal in the first propagation mode and the frequency of the traveling flexural waves. The frequency of the optical signal in the second propagation mode is shifted upward or downward from the frequency of the optical signal in the first propagation mode as determined by the direction of propagation of the first optical signal with respect to the direction of propagation of the traveling flexural waves, and as also determined by whether the phase propagation velocity of the optical signal in the first propagation mode is greater than or less than the propagation velocity of the optical signal in the second propagation mode.

Fiber optic inter-mode coupling single side band frequency shifter

An all fiber mode selector comprises a single-mode optical fiber and a double-mode optical fiber, each having a facing surface formed on one side of the cladding. The facing surfaces are juxtaposed in close facing relationship. The fibers are selected so that an optical signal propagating in the LP.sub.11 propagation mode of the double-mode optical fiber propagates at substantially the same phase velocity as an optical signal propagating in the LP.sub.01 propagation mode of the single-mode optical fiber. The evanescent fields of the two fibers interact to couple optical energy from the LP.sub.11 mode of the double-mode optical fiber to the LP.sub.01 mode of the single-mode optical fiber and vice versa.

Fiber optic mode selector

An interferometer used as a rotation sensor is constructed using a strand of optical fiber, a portion of which is formed into a sensing loop. A pair of light waves are caused to counterpropagate in the sensing loop and are combined to form an optical output signal that has an intensity that varies in accordance with the difference in the phases of the two counterpropagating light waves. A phase modulator is positioned on the optical fiber in the sensing loop at a location such that the two counterpropagating light waves are modulated approximately 180 degrees out of phase. The time-varying phase modulation causes a time-varying phase difference that is combined with a rotationally-induced Sagnac effect phase to provide a total phase difference that is detected by a photodetector. The photodetector provides an electrical output signal this is differentiated to provide a differentiated output signal that has zero-crossings that correspond to maxima and minima of the electrical output signal. The time intervals between selected zero-crossings are measured and the rotationally-induced phase difference caused by the Sagnac effect is calculated from the measured time intervals. The rotation rate is then calculated from the Sagnac phase difference.

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Byoung Y Kim