Effect of changes in size and index of refraction on the resonance wavelength of microspheres

Abstract

Wave theory and geometrical optics are used to investigate the effect of small changes in size and index of refraction on the resonance wavelength of spherical microresonators. It is shown that changes in the index of refraction have two effects: These changes affect the phase jump on the surface and the optical path length in the resonator. Under certain conditions the effect of the external or internal index of refraction becomes negligible. The influence of the order number of the resonance modes is investigated. Finally, the results of the theoretical analyses are applied to calculate the effect of temperature on the resonance wavelength.