Nonlinear Thermal Compensators for WGM Resonators

In an alternative version of a proposed bimaterial thermal compensator for a whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonator, a mechanical element having nonlinear stiffness would be added to enable stabilization of a desired resonance frequency at a suitable fixed working temperature. The previous version was described in “Bimaterial Thermal Compensators for WGM Resonators” (NPO-44441), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 10 (October 2008), page 96. Both versions are intended to serve as inexpensive means of preventing (to first order) or reducing temperature-related changes in resonance frequencies.