A novel active optical approach for acceleration measurement based on a Y-shaped cavity dual-frequency laser

► A novel approach for acceleration measurement has been demonstrated. ► The acceleration measurement resolution of 10−5-10−6g (in the range of ±5g) could be expected. ► The laser sensor utilizes “press-refractivity effect” of the gas to sense the inertial force. ► We propose a simple and efficient method to distinguish the direction of applied acceleration.