A chip-scale atomic gyroscope and methods for sensing and measuring mechanical rotation of an object are disclosed. The chip-scale atomic gyroscope can include a vapor cell including a vapor cavity adapted to contain a vaporized source of alkali-metal atoms and noble gas atoms, a pump laser source adapted to produce a first laser beam along an optical pumping axis for optically pumping the alkali-metal atoms within the vapor cavity to an excited state, and a sense laser source adapted to produce a second laser beam along a sense axis transverse to the optical pumping axis for probing the polarization angle of the noble gas atoms within the vapor cavity. The pump and sense laser sources can each be connected to a servo mechanism, which can be configured to maintain the laser beams at a wavelength corresponding to the carrier wavelength of the alkali-metal atoms and a wavelength detuned from the carrier wavelength.