Rotation-induced superstructure in slow-light waveguides with mode-degeneracy: Optical gyroscopes with exponential sensitivity

We study wave propagation in a rotating slow-light structure with mode degeneracy. The rotation, in conjunction with the mode degeneracy, effectively induces superstructure that significantly modifies the structure's dispersion relation. It is shown that a rotation-dependent stop band is formed in the center of the slow-light waveguide transmission curve. A light signal of frequency within this stop band that is excited in a finite-length section of such a waveguide decays exponentially with the rotation speed and with the coupled resonator optical waveguide's total length or total number of degenerate microcavities. This effect can be used for optical gyroscopes with exponential-type sensitivity to rotation.