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The Ring Laser Gyro

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Modern Inertial Technology

Part of the book series: Mechanical Engineering Series ((MES))

Abstract

In Chapter 11 we defined the ring laser gyroscope (RLG) as an active resonator optical gyro. Clifford Heer conceived the RLG in 1961 [1]; he saw that the properties of the laser, recently invented by Schawlow and Townes, could be exploited to measure rotation. Heer and Adolph Rosenthal [2] independently developed the theory, and, in 1963, Macek and Davis [3] demonstrated the first RLG, a square gyro, 1 m on a side. Scientists around the world contributed to the field during the 1970s, and Bogdanov’s survey article [4] describes the results.

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References

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Lawrence, A. (1998). The Ring Laser Gyro. In: Modern Inertial Technology. Mechanical Engineering Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1734-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1734-3_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7258-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-1734-3

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