Excitation mapping of whispering gallery modes in silica microcavities

We report the direct observation of the electromagnetic-field distribution of whispering gallery modes in silica microcavities ( spheres and toroids). It is revealed by their excitation efficiency with a tapered fiber coupler swept along the meridian. The originality of this method lies in the use of the coupler itself for the near-field mapping, eliminating the need of additional tools used in previous work. This method is successfully applied to microspheres and microtoroids. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America