Passive ring resonator laser gyroscope

This report studies the behavior of a passive cavity optical gyroscope using (1) a small, 17 cm on a side, aluminum block and (2) a large, 70 cm on a side, cavity having discretely mounted components. In both cases, short-noise-limited performance has been reached for short periods of time, on the order of 20 minutes. Long term behavior has not been studied in much detail, but several factors that can influence the long term performance have been identified.