title: Light emission from whispering-gallery modes in microscopic spheres.
abstract: The emission of light from whispering-gallery modes excited in microscopic spheres is examined. An evanescent wave is produced by total internal reflection of an optical beam at a planar glass-air interface. This evanescent wave is used to excite whispering-gallery modes in single microscopic spheres placed behind the glass-air interface. The intensity of light emitted into the air half-space from such spheres is measured as a function of scattering angle for both p- and s-polarized input beams. These data are compared with a simple theory for the emission from a point source above a planar glass substrate.
authors.affiliation: Thin Film Photonics Group, School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK. mjjory@exeter.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jory
authors.forename: Elaine A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: J Roy
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sambles