Abstract: A self-injection locking system is disclosed that internally narrows the prepulse of a laser cavity before it is replicated as the laser output using: two quarter wave plates, an air spaced etalon, and a polarizing beam splitter. The air spaced etalon will separate the off-center frequency signals from the center frequency signals of the prepulse by inducing a phase shift. Following this, the polarizing beam splitter impedes the off-center frequency signals by a power loss of about ten percent while the center frequency signals are unaffected. In operation, this can cause the off-center frequency signals to fail to reach the threshold at which stimulated emission takes place. The result is that the laser replicates only the center frequency signals as the laser output.

Abstract: A method of controlling the output of a laser in a laser clock to compensate for changes in the output of the laser due to optical dispersion resulting from laser aging and changes in laser temperature is described, which comprises, comparing the output frequency of the laser clock with a standard of known frequency, such as an atomic clock, calculating the change in laser discharge current corresponding to any difference between the laser clock frequency and the standard required to adjust the laser clock frequency to a predetermined frequency value, and adjusting the laser discharge current to a value corresponding to the predetermined laser clock frequency.

Abstract: A laser clock includes a linear laser in one embodiment of the clock and a ring laser gyro in the other embodiment. The linear laser is frequency stabilized and utilizes a single active medium in the form of a low pressure gas, such as He-Ne, with a Doppler broadened gain curve. The ring laser gyro is a four frequency laser with a Faraday rotor. Detector and electronic circuitry associated with the laser of each embodiment detect a beat frequency and converts it to a clock signal.