Mode identification in spherical microcavities doped with quantum dots

Abstract
Using imaging spectroscopy at the diffraction limit, a polarization-sensitive mode mapping allows the experimental identification of transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes for spherical microcavities. The method is applied to microspheres surface covered by CdSe quantum dots. A theoretical estimate of the minimum mode volume excited by a single, anisotropic quantum dot is given with Q/V larger than 1000 μm−3 for the parameters of the experimentally studied microcavities.