Controlling the nonlinear intracavity dynamics of large He-Ne laser gyroscopes

Abstract: A model based on Lamb's theory of gas lasers is applied to a He-Ne ring laser gyroscope in order to estimate and remove the laser dynamics contribution from the rotation measurements. The intensities of the counter-propagating laser beams exiting one cavity mirror are continuously observed together with a monitor of the laser population inversion. These observables, once properly calibrated with a dedicated procedure, allow us to estimate cold cavity and active medium parameters driving the main part of the nonlinearities of the system. The parameters identification and noise subtraction procedure has been verified by means of a Monte Carlo study of the system, and experimentally tested on the G-Pisa ring laser oriented with the normal to the ring plane almost parallel to the Earth rotation axis. In this configuration the Earth rotation-rate provides the maximum Sagnac effect while the contribution of the orientation error is reduced at minimum. After the subtraction of laser dynamics by a Kalman filter, the relative systematic errors of G-PISA reduce from 50 to 5 part in 10^3 and can be attributed to the residual uncertainties on geometrical scale factor and orientation of the ring.