Refractometric sensors based on microsphere resonators

We have developed a highly sensitive refractometric sensor based on fused silica microsphere resonators. The spectral position of the whispering gallery mode (WGM) of a sphere shifts in response to the refractive index change in the surrounding medium. The strong light-matter interaction due to the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2005-11, Vol.87 (20), p.201107-201107-3
Main Authors: Hanumegowda, Niranjan M., Stica, Caleb J., Patel, Bijal C., White, Ian, Fan, Xudong
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We have developed a highly sensitive refractometric sensor based on fused silica microsphere resonators. The spectral position of the whispering gallery mode (WGM) of a sphere shifts in response to the refractive index change in the surrounding medium. The strong light-matter interaction due to the extremely high Q factor associated with the WGM results in a sensitivity of approximately 30 nm ∕ RIU (refractive index units). This, together with the high spectral resolution of our sensor system ( ∼ 0.01 pm ) , yields a detection limit of refractive index change on the order of 10 − 7 RIU . Theoretical calculation is also performed and agrees well with the experimental data.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.2132076