Large Rings
The perimeter dependence of the Signal/Noise ratio is
This equation defines large rings with L >> Lcrit ≈ 40 cm, where S/N becomes proportional to L2. Therefore the sensitivity of large rings increases quadratically with size, hence the quest for ever larger Ring Lasers for Research.
In the past it was thought that only small ring lasers avoid multimode excitation. However, if signal bandwidth is sacrificed, there is no known limit to ring laser size, either theoretically or experimentally.
One of the major advantages of large rings is a quartic reduction of lock-in and pulling in large rings.
Read more about this topic: Ring Laser
Famous quotes containing the words large and/or rings:
“A tattered copy of Johnson’s large Dictionary was a great delight to me, on account of the specimens of English versifications which I found in the Introduction. I learned them as if they were so many poems. I used to keep this old volume close to my pillow; and I amused myself when I awoke in the morning by reciting its jingling contrasts of iambic and trochaic and dactylic metre, and thinking what a charming occupation it must be to “make up” verses.”
—Lucy Larcom (1824–1893)
“You held my hand
and were instant to explain
the three rings of danger.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)