Whispering Gallery Modes silica resonators - a platform for optical sensing

Eyal Yacoby, Yosef London, Yekutiel Meshorer, Sharone Goldring, Chana Goren, Shaul Pearl

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Optical Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) microresonators are an ideal platform for miniature and high sensitive sensors. They exhibit very small mode volumes and extremely high Q factors of the order of 106 - 109 providing a platform with low nonlinearity thresholds and low detection limits to environmental changes. Here we present and discuss some of the WGM-based applications we have been developing in our lab. Specifically, we present a WGM strain sensor based on a silica stretchable microsphere, with a Q factor of 108. Tension stress is applied along a microsphere with two fiber tails by pulling on one tail. Consequently, the microsphere's WGMs are shifted and the measurement may serve as a strain sensor. Based on this strain sensor, a WGM magnetic sensor is suggested where the mechanical response of a magnetostrictive material to a varying magnetic field applies the tension stress. In addition, a narrow linewidth laser source for these sensors is described here as well, where a multimode diode laser is locked to a single WGM of the microsphere via self-injection feedback from the microsphere. This optical locking is accompanied with a substantial spectral narrowing of the multimode diode laser.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFiber Lasers and Glass Photonics
Subtitle of host publicationMaterials through Applications III
EditorsMaurizio Ferrari, Angela B. Seddon, Stefano Taccheo, Stefano Taccheo
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Electronic)9781510651609
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes
EventFiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications III 2022 - Virtual, Online
Duration: 9 May 202220 May 2022

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume12142
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Conference

ConferenceFiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications III 2022
CityVirtual, Online
Period9/05/2220/05/22

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 SPIE.

Keywords

  • Magnetic sensor
  • Mechanical tuning
  • Microsphere
  • Optical laser locking
  • Whispering Gallery Modes

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