Optoelectronic Oscillator With Low Acceleration Sensitivity

An optoelectronic oscillator with a nominal operating frequency of 11.763 GHz has been designed and constructed to demonstrate a technique for reducing the sensitivity of the operating frequency to acceleration. Optoelectronic oscillators in general exhibit low sensitivity to acceleration in addition to other attractive characteristics (high spectral purity, low phase noise, capability for generating multigigahertz frequencies, and both electrical and optical input and output capabilities). The practical significance of the present development is that the reduction of acceleration sensitivities to exceptionally low levels would render optoelectronic oscillators even more attractive as signal sources for use on diverse moving platforms, including automobiles, ships, aircraft, and spacecraft.