Suppression of Nonlinear Interactions in Resonant Macroscopic Quantum Devices : the Example of the Solid-State Ring Laser Gyroscope

TL;DR

This paper investigates how vibrating the gain medium in a solid-state ring laser gyroscope can suppress nonlinear interactions, improving rotation sensing accuracy, with potential applications to other macroscopic quantum rotation sensors.

Contribution

It introduces a method to tune nonlinear interactions in a macroscopic quantum device using vibration, supported by theoretical and experimental analysis.

Findings

Nonlinear interactions vanish at specific vibration amplitudes.

Higher vibration frequencies can enhance rotation sensing over a broad range.

The approach is analogous to tuning interactions in superfluid quantum sensors.

Abstract

We study the suppression of nonlinear interactions in resonant macroscopic quantum devices in the case of the solid-state ring laser gyroscope. These nonlinear interactions are tuned by vibrating the gain medium along the cavity axis. Beat note occurrence under rotation provides a precise measurement of the strength of nonlinear interactions, which turn out to vanish for some discrete values of the amplitude of vibration. Our theoretical description, in very good agreement with the measured data, suggests the use of a higher vibration frequency to achieve quasi-ideal rotation sensing over a broad range of rotation speeds. We finally underline the analogy between this device and some other macroscopic quantum rotation sensors, such as ring-shaped superfluid configurations, where nonlinear interactions could be tuned for example by the use of magnetically-induced Feschbach resonance.