Frequency-shifted laser feedback interferometry in non-planar ring oscillators

Abstract

Laser feedback interferometry (LFI) has a wide range of applications such as displacement, distance and velocity measurements. LFI has been realized in many types of lasers but has never been reported in non-planar ring oscillators (NPRO) to the best of our knowledge. Here, we present a new type of LFI based on an NPRO laser. The intrinsic resistance to optical feedback in NPROs is broken under weak magnetic intensity condition, where stable bidirectional lasing is initiated in the ring cavity. The interference signal, i.e., the beat of the bidirectional lasing is with frequency in the range of a few hundred kilohertz, which is mainly determined by the applied magnetic intensity in NPRO. Frequency shifted LFI is thus constructed in NPRO without using acoustic optic modulators as mostly used in conventional LFI. A theoretical model based on two frequency rate equations and Lang-Kobayashi equation is presented to describe the mechanism of LFI in NPRO. In the end, micro-vibrational measurements are demonstrated to prove the potential application, where vibration-detection amplitude limit is sub-picometer, and the detection frequency range from kilohertz to a few hundred kilohertz is achieved. Benefiting from the characteristics of tiny footprint, ruggedized structure, long lifetime and ultralow-noise of NPRO lasers, NPRO-based LFI may find important applications in industry, scientific research,military and aerospace.