We demonstrate a fiber-optical version of a stable three-dimensional light-force trap, which we have used to hold and manipulate small dielectric spheres and living yeast. We show that the trap can be constructed by use of infrared diode lasers with fiber pigtails, without any external optics.

A stimulated Brillouin fiber ring laser with a spectral width of 2 kHz and an intrinsic linewidth of less than 30 Hz has been demonstrated. Applications of such a laser include laser linewidth narrowing, microwave frequency generation, high-rate amplitude modulation, and optical inertial rotation sensing.

We achieved simultaneous bidirectional lasing in an all-fiber ring laser, using stimulated Brillouin scattering as the gain medium. The Brillouin lasing threshold was 60 microW for a He-Ne pump at 1.15 microm. The operation of this device as a ring-laser gyroscope was demonstrated.

Lock-in behavior around zero rotation rate has been observed in a closed-loop passive ring resonator gyroscope. This behavior is due to backscattering within the resonator, as in the case of a ring laser gyro. Several nonmechanical techniques for the elimination of the lock-in behavior in a passive gyroscope are demonstrated.

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