Attività del Dipartimento

Ring Laser gyros, instruments to study the earth and the sky

Angela Di Virgilio

Ring Laser gyros are inertial sensors based on the Sagnac effect. They measure absolute angular rotation rates  and at present are the most sensitive gyros for earth based apparatus. Sensitivity below prad/s has been already obtained.

As most of the very high sensitivity apparatus, they have a large range of applications: from the General Relativity test  on Earth of the Lense-Thirring effect, to geodetic measurements, as polar motion, chandler wobbler, tides in general, and to seismology studies.

We have proposed the GINGER experiment, an array of ring laser gyros for the Lense Thirring effect with 1% accuracy.  The GINGER apparatus will be outlined.

 

As a preparatory phase to develop GINGER, we have built the large ring laser gyro GINGERINO inside the Gran Sasso Laboratory.  At present on the world, GINGERINO is  the most sensitive ring laser  based on the so called hetero-lithic mechanical structure, and it is the only one operative inside an important seismically active region.