Modeling of pulse propagation in a four level atomic medium for gyroscopic measurements

Precise rotation sensors are critical components for stabilization, navigation, and targeting applications. The most sensitive commercial devices are fiber optic gyroscopes based on the Sagnac effect. There is the potential to enhance the performance of these gyroscopes using media with large positive (''slow light') or negative (''fast light') dispersion. In order to facilitate the creation and optimization of next-generation gyroscope designs, comprehensive, flexible, and efficient modeling software is needed. We propose to model the propagation of light pulses through a atomic medium in a cavity using the Maxwell-Bloch density-matrix formalism. Using algorithms tuned for a particular system and operating regime will allow efficient computation of the response.