Related Experiment Videos
Whispering gallery modes in nanosized dielectric resonators with hexagonal cross section
Thomas Nobis1, Evgeni M Kaidashev, Andreas Rahm
1Fakultät für Physik und Geowissenschaften, Institut für Experimentelle Physik II, Universität Leipzig, Linnéstrasse 5, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. nobis@physik.uni-leipzig.de
Physical Review Letters
|September 28, 2004
Summary
Whispering gallery modes in hexagonal dielectric resonators show size dependence. Zinc oxide nanoneedles reveal mode behavior down to the nanometer scale, explained by a simple interference model.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Whispering gallery modes (WGMs) are crucial for micro- and nanophotonic devices.
- Understanding their size dependence in dielectric resonators is key for device miniaturization.
- Hexagonal cross-section resonators offer unique optical properties not fully explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the size dependence of WGMs in hexagonal dielectric resonators.
- To analyze WGMs in zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoneedles as a model system.
- To develop a predictive model for WGM spectral positions and linewidths.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of single, tapered ZnO nanoneedles with high aspect ratios.
- Optical spectroscopy in the visible spectral range.
- Analysis of WGMs for varying resonator diameters down to the nanometer scale.
Main Results:
- Observed clear size dependence of WGMs in hexagonal ZnO nanoneedles.
- Demonstrated WGM behavior for cavity diameters comparable to the wavelength of light.
- Achieved good agreement between experimental data and a simple plane wave interference model.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully demonstrates the size dependence of WGMs in hexagonal dielectric nanostructures.
- ZnO nanoneedles serve as an effective model system for studying nanoscale optical phenomena.
- A parameter-free interference model accurately predicts WGM characteristics, facilitating future nanophotonic device design.