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

We propose to continue the development of software designed to model the propagation of light pulses through atomic media by including the capability to model propagation in optical cavities with active laser media, among other improvements. The software will be used to design and analyze a gyroscope based on the Sagnac effect that achieves enhanced sensitivity by employing a highly dispersive atomic medium. This enhancement is theoretically predicted to occur under certain conditions corresponding to"fast light"propagation with low absorption. The design effort will occur in conjunction with preliminary experimental demonstration of the physical principles upon which the enhanced gyroscope is based, which will also validate the theoretical approach. The theoretical and experimental effort will lead to the design, construction, and demonstration of a laboratory prototype of the enhanced-sensitivity gyroscope, followed by analysis and optimization of its performance.