Acoustic whispering-gallery modes in optomechanical shells

We numerically calculate the forms and frequencies of mechanical whispering-gallery modes in silica shells. Such modes were recently experimentally observed in water-filled optomechanical resonators, which constitute a bridge between optomechanics and microfluidics. We consider the three acoustic mode families of Rayleigh–Lamb waves, longitudinal waves and Love waves. Our study shows that these acoustic modes have rich velocity dispersion characteristics and can create considerable deformation of the inner surface of the shells. In this manner, a novel optomechanical interaction may be facilitated between fluids and light. S Online supplementary data available from stacks.iop.org/NJP/14/115026/ mmedia 4 Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed. Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. New Journal of Physics 14 (2012) 115026 1367-2630/12/115026+14$33.00 © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft