Wednesday  |  Conference Center B  |  10:50 AM–11:10 AM

#13786, Integrated Optical PT- and anti-PT-symmetric Sensors for Angular Velocity Sensing

The recent market demand for self-driving vehicles and robots and growing interest for aerospace applications are pushing research towards miniaturizing high-performance gyroscopes and accelerometers. The goal is to replace the GPS in some fields and situations where the satellite signal is not available, such as in a road tunnel, indoors, underwater or in space.
Optical gyroscopes are optimal solutions for angular velocity sensing. They are based on the so-called Sagnac effect, according to which the resonant frequencies of an optical resonator are separated by a splitting proportional to the angular velocity. However, the Sagnac effect linearly depends on the radius of the optical resonator. Therefore, the miniaturization of optical gyroscopes is not immediate.
Recent studies concerning parity-time and anti-parity-time symmetries have shown the possibility of exploiting the so-called "exceptional point" in the design of optical sensors to increase the sensitivity of these sensors and make it independent from the size of the device. By applying the concept of parity-time and anti-parity-time symmetries to optical gyroscopes it is possible to realize an angular velocity sensor having a sensitivity independent from the radius of the optical resonator. Such a solution could pave the way to a new generation of miniaturized optical gyroscopes.

Martino De Carlo   Politecnico di Bari
Luciano Lamberti   Politecnico di Bari
Francesco De Leonardis   Politecnico di Bari
Vittorio Passaro   Politecnico di Bari