Polarization conversion in a silica microsphere

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate controlled polarization-selective phenomena in a whispering gallery mode resonator. We observed efficient ($\approx 75$) polarization conversion of light in a silica microsphere coupled to a tapered optical fiber with proper optimization of the polarization of the propagating light. A simple model treating the microsphere as a ring resonator provides a good fit to the observed behavior.

RevTeX4, 7 pages, 4 figures. Revised version, added 1 figure