We present a comprehensive overview of sensor technology exploiting optical whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonances. After a short introduction we begin by detailing the fundamental principles and theory of WGMs in optical microcavities and the transduction mechanisms frequently employed for sensing purposes. Key recent theoretical contributions to the modeling and analysis of WGM systems are highlighted. Subsequently we review the state of the art of WGM sensors by outlining efforts made to date to improve current detection limits. Proposals in this vein are numerous and range, for example, from plasmonic enhancements and active cavities to hybrid optomechanical sensors, which are already working in the shot noise limited regime. In parallel to furthering WGM sensitivity, efforts to improve the time resolution are beginning to emerge. We therefore summarize the techniques being pursued in this vein. Ultimately WGM sensors aim for real-world applications, such as measurements of force and temperature, or alternatively gas and biosensing. Each such application is thus reviewed in turn, and important achievements are discussed. Finally, we adopt a more forward-looking perspective and discuss the outlook of WGM sensors within both a physical and biological context and consider how they may yet push the detection envelope further.

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Whispering gallery mode sensors

A new concept for an optical biosensor based on whispering gallery mode (WGM) excitations in clusters of spherical microresonators is presented. Clusters of microresonators offer the advantage to exhibit specific WGM spectra that can be considered as their fingerprint. Therefore, individual clusters can be traced throughout an experiment even without knowledge of their precise positions. Polyelectrolyte adsorption onto clusters of 10μm polystyrene spheres is monitored in situ. It is shown that the WGMs shift to the same amount as those of a single microresonator and thus sensitivity does not depend on the number of microresonators present in the cluster.

/pdf/optical-biosensor-based-on-whispering-gallery-mode-2hcm4guc66.pdf

Optical biosensor based on whispering gallery mode excitations in clusters of microparticles

Whispering gallery modes (WGM) of dye-doped polystyrene beads with diameters from 20 down to 1.5 μm are studied with respect to their appearance and linewidth by excitation of the entire mode spectrum within the emission range of the dye. The lowest order (q=1) modes, which travel most closely to the inner particle surface, are assigned to their individual quantum numbers by means of a least-square-fit, resulting in a precise determination of particle radius and eccentricity. On this basis, the suitability of these microscopic cavities for applications in optical (bio-)sensing is explored. Due to the low quality (Q) factors of these small cavities, particles with diameters below 6 μm exhibit only q=1 modes, thereby causing a drastic simplification of the WGM spectrum. In such spectra, the shift in the WGM positions upon molecular adsorption can be easily monitored, as we demonstrate for the adsorption of bovine serum albumin as well as multiple layers of polyelectrolytes onto the surface of particles with 2 μm diameter. Mie simulations are used to confirm our findings. With a mass sensitivity limit of 3 fg, these microscopic sensors are highly competitive in the field of label-free detection techniques. Moreover, their small size and the simplified, dye-mediated excitation and detection scheme may pave the way to remote in-vitro biosensing in the future.

Whispering gallery mode biosensors in the low- Q limit

A simple plane wave, ray-tracing approach was used to derive approximate equations for the dielectric microsphere whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonant wavenumber and quality factor, as dependent on the surrounding medium’s refractive index. These equations are then used to determine the feasibility of a micro-optical sensor for species concentration. Results indicate that the WGMs are not sensitive enough to refractive index changes in the case of gas media. However, they can be sufficiently sensitive for measurements in liquids. Experiments were carried out to validate the analysis and to provide an assessment of this sensor concept.

Whispering gallery modes of microspheres in the presence of a changing surrounding medium: A new ray-tracing analysis and sensor experiment

We describe temperature sensing by hollow core fibers using whispering gallery modes of a spherical microresonator. Light from a tunable laser was coupled into the input end of the hollow core fiber. Optical resonances were excited in a microsphere inserted in the modified output end. Part of the light was coupled back from the resonator into the hollow core fiber and transported back to the input end. This light was recorded via a beam splitter by a diode. The sensing principle is based on the shift of the optical resonances by changing the temperature of the resonator. This shift is monitored and leads to the temperature of the resonator and surrounding respectively.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/21/9/094015/pdf

Temperature sensing by using whispering gallery modes with hollow core fibers

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.

Marion Horn

Papers

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