Sagnac effect in resonant microcavities

Satoshi Sunada*, Takahisa Harayama

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report the Sagnac effect in resonant microcavities. The Sagnac effect is the phase and frequency difference between two counter propagating laser beams in a rotating ring resonator, and has been studied for a long time [1, 2]. It forms the basis for the optical gyroscopes, such as ring laser gyroscope or fiber optic gyroscopes [1-3]. Conventional theoretical approach for the Sagnac effect has been derived from the assumption that the light propagates one-dimensionally and the wavelength of the light is typically much smaller than the cavity length. However, nowadays, micro-fabrication techniques are developed enough that the cavity size can approach the size of the wavelength of the light [4-6]. The conventional formalism for the Sagnac effect, therefore, breaks down and needs to be replaced. We derive the Sagnac effect in resonant microcavities theoretically and numerically without the conventional assumption and show that the frequency shift due to the Sagnac effect occurs as a threshold phenomenon for rotation velocity in a rotating microcavity by employing perturbation theory typically used in quantum mechanics. The threshold exists even in the absence of the backscattering, which causes the lock-in phenomenon [2,3], and depends on the geometric shape and the symmetry of resonant cavities. It is also shown that the eigenfunctions of a rotating microcavity become rotating waves above the threshold while they are standing waves below the threshold. Our theoretical approach can be applied to the resonant cavities of arbitrary shapes and can make it possible to design compact optical gyroscopes that have a low threshold.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2006 International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks, ICTON 2006
Pages92
Number of pages1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2006
Externally publishedYes
Event2006 International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks, ICTON 2006 - Nottingham, United Kingdom
Duration: 2006 Jun 182006 Jun 22

Publication series

Name2006 International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks
Volume1

Conference

Conference2006 International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks, ICTON 2006
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityNottingham
Period06/6/1806/6/22

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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