Transverse mode coupling in an optical resonator
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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Microwave Photonics Systems Based on Whispering-gallery-mode Resonators
Published on: August 5, 2013
Thijs Klaassen1, Johan de Jong, Martin van Exter
1Huygens Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. tklaassen@molphys.leidenuniv.nl
Abstract:
Small-angle scattering due to mirror surface roughness is shown to couple the optical modes and deform the transmission spectra in a frequency-degenerate optical cavity. A simple model based on a random scattering matrix clearly visualizes the mixing and avoided crossings between multiple transverse modes. These effects are visible only in the frequency-domain spectra; cavity ringdown experiments are unaffected by changes in the spatial coherence, as they probe just the intracavity photon lifetime.
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