A ring laser gyroscope is provided. The ring laser gyroscope includes an optical ring resonator, an optical source to provide a pump beam at a pump frequency, a beat detector, and an optical clock detector. The pump beam is coupled to the optical ring resonator in the first direction and stimulates a first optical gain curve at a first stokes wave frequency downshifted by a Brillouin stokes frequency from the pump frequency. A first order stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) beam propagates in the second direction and a second order SBS beam propagates in the first direction. The beat detector produces an optical beat signal that varies as a function of a frequency difference between the first order SBS beam and the second order SBS beam. The optical clock detector generates a reference frequency signal based on two co-propagating beams.