Characterization of a Passive 3x3 Fiber Optic Gyroscope for Cryogenic Applications at Liquid Nitrogen Temperatures

A fiber optic gyroscope that can operate at room temperature and with its coil submerged in liquid nitrogen was set up and successfully tested. The behavior of long lengths of optical fibers at liquid nitrogen temperatures was investigated. The 3x3 fiber optic gyroscope configuration is discussed and used with modern light sources and analog-digital converters, resulting in the best noise performance of such a device yet.