Temperature-dependent, polarization-induced bias errors in a resonator integrated optical gyroscope

The performance of a resonator integrated optical gyroscope (RIOG) is inevitably influenced by polarization noise. In this work, the effects of temperature-dependent polarization on the performances of an integrated optical resonator (IOR) and a RIOG are formulated mathematically and analyzed. Firstly, resonant curves with different polarization extinction ratios (PERs) and different temperature fluctuations are demonstrated. The main performances of the IOR, i.e. depth and full width at half maximum (FWHM), are not only influenced by the waveguide birefringence, but also by the intensity coupling coefficient of the couplers, both of which change with the variation of temperature. Secondly, the relationship between the variation of temperature and the variation of depth, as well as the FWHM, are obtained. Thirdly, in order to evaluate the zero bias error caused by the temperature-dependent polarization, resonant asymmetry ratio (RAR) is introduced, which is strongly dependent on the temperature fluctuation. A relationship between the bias error caused by the polarization and the temperature fluctuation is proposed. A large PER of the input beam and a high temperature stability are required to reduce the bias error and achieve a high bias stability of the silica RIOG.