Spin-Orbit Coupling in Optical Microcavities

Abstract

Open-access Fabry-Perot microcavities are versatile tools that can resonantly trap light and thereby enhance light-matter interaction by the Purcell effect. The paraxial description predicts that the eigenmodes of such cavities are Hermite-Gaussian$HG_{nm}$modes that are characterized by a longitudinal quantum number$q$and a transverse order$N=n+m$and that modes with the same$(q,N)$labels are frequency degenerate in a rotation-symmetric cavity. But optical cavities with mirror radii and cavity lengths of only a few wavelengths don't operate in the paraxial limit. We will show that the eigen modes of such cavities are more complicated superpositions of HG-modes, superpositions with intriguing polarization patterns due to optical spin-orbit coupling. We will also demonstrate and quantify the role of other mode-shaping effects, like non-paraxial corrections to the propagation and astigmatic and spherical aberrations of the concave mirror.

Authors 1

1. Martin van Exter Aachen Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University,Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory,Leiden,The Netherlands