A gain mirror is created for use as an optical amplifier in a solid state ring laser rotation sensor. Such a ring laser includes at least three mirrors for reflecting counter propagating laser beams around a closed loop optical path, wherein at least one of the mirrors is a gain mirror. The gain mirror is formed by applying a thin film of silica, a few half wavelengths thick and doped with Nd isotopes, onto a very high reflectivity mirror and then using a laser diode to pump it with intense light to form a population inversion in Nd3+ ions. An assembly consisting of this gain mirror and a pump laser diode can be used as an optical amplifier in a solid state ring laser to generate the two counter propagating laser light beams needed to measure rotation.