US Patent 9212912 Ring laser gyroscope on a chip with doppler-broadened gain medium

A laser gyroscope comprising includes a first solid waveguide; a gain medium interaction region where light traveling through the first solid waveguide interacts with non-solid Doppler-broadened gain medium molecules positioned outside of the first solid waveguide; at least one medium exciter configured to excite the non-solid Doppler-broadened gain medium at the gain medium interaction region, wherein the excited non-solid Doppler-broadened gain medium induces first and second laser fields within the first solid waveguide, wherein the first laser field travels in a clockwise direction within the first solid waveguide and the second laser field travels in a counter-clockwise direction within the first solid waveguide; and a photodetector communicatively coupled to the first solid waveguide and configured to detect the portions of the first and second laser fields.