An optical microphone system comprising: a laser configured to emit an optical beam at a linear polarization, the laser being further configured to oscillate the linear polarization of the optical beam between a first linear polarization and a second linear polarization; an optical cavity system comprising a partially silvered membranous mirror that is configured to reflect a first portion of the optical beam and to pass a second portion of the optical beam , and to vibrate in response to an acoustic input signal ; a polarizing beamsplitter configured to separate the second portion of the optical beam into the first linear polarization and the second linear polarization that is orthogonal with respect to the first linear polarization; a first photodetector configured to receive the first linear polarization of the second portion of the optical beam and to monitor the intensity of the second portion of the optical beam with respect to the first linear polarization to generate a first microphone signal; a second photodetector configured to monitor an intensity of the second portion of the optical beam with respect to the second linear polarization to generate a second microphone signal, the first and second microphone signals being indicative of the vibration of the partially silvered membranous mirror resulting from the acoustic input signal , wherein the first and second microphone signals are frequency-modulated (FM) signals comprising a carrier signal that has a carrier frequency corresponding to the oscillation of the linear polarization of the optical beam and a baseband signal corresponding to the acoustic input signal; and an acoustic processor configured to demodulate the first and second microphone signals via a reference frequency signal associated with the carrier signal to determine an amplitude and a frequency of the acoustic input signal based on the frequency of a mathematical difference between the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal. a laser configured to emit an optical beam at a linear polarization, the laser being further configured to oscillate the linear polarization of the optical beam between a first linear polarization and a second linear polarization; an optical cavity system comprising a partially silvered membranous mirror that is configured to reflect a first portion of the optical beam and to pass a second portion of the optical beam , and to vibrate in response to an acoustic input signal ; a polarizing beamsplitter configured to separate the second portion of the optical beam into the first linear polarization and the second linear polarization that is orthogonal with respect to the first linear polarization; a first photodetector configured to receive the first linear polarization of the second portion of the optical beam and to monitor the intensity of the second portion of the optical beam with respect to the first linear polarization to generate a first microphone signal; a second photodetector configured to monitor an intensity of the second portion of the optical beam with respect to the second linear polarization to generate a second microphone signal, the first and second microphone signals being indicative of the vibration of the partially silvered membranous mirror resulting from the acoustic input signal , wherein the first and second microphone signals are frequency-modulated (FM) signals comprising a carrier signal that has a carrier frequency corresponding to the oscillation of the linear polarization of the optical beam and a baseband signal corresponding to the acoustic input signal; and an acoustic processor configured to demodulate the first and second microphone signals via a reference frequency signal associated with the carrier signal to determine an amplitude and a frequency of the acoustic input signal based on the frequency of a mathematical difference between the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal. <EOS>