Use of solid-state laser with minimum amplitude noise for high-sensitivity measurements

The possibilities of an intracavity polarization-measurement method that employs the dynamic characteristics of a solid-state laser to achieve high sensitivity are considered. The theoretical sensitivity of the method is estimated to be of the order of 10 to the -11th rad for measurements of rotation of the plane of polarization. A CW Nd:YAG laser developed to achieve the theoretical sensitivity is described, along with an experimental demonstration of the sensitivity in the detection of a calibrated phase shift in a LiNbO3 Pockels cell.