Ray Chaos and<i>Q</i>Spoiling in Lasing Droplets

Abstract

It is proposed that the spoiling of high-Q whispering gallery modes in deformed dielectric spheres can be understood as a transition to chaotic ray dynamics which can no longer be confined by total internal reflection. This is a Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser/Lazutkin transition for light. The theory is applied to explain the lasing properties of droplets.