Precision angular velocity response of a fiber-optic gyroscope using a piezo-nano-rotation table

Modern fiber-optic gyroscopes are calibrated using the Earth's rotation or stepper motor actuated rotation tables. We investigated the angular velocity resolution of the Optolink SRS-1000 fiber-optic gyroscope using a piezo-activated rotation table down to angular velocity steps of 1 × 10−7 rad s−1 with an accuracy of 1.5 × 10−8 rad s−1. To our knowledge, these are the smallest velocity steps resolved and reported in the literature so far. Our results show that such a gyroscope may be also used for nanopositioning purposes in addition to its usual navigation application.