Abstract

Research towards understanding the topological Berry’s phase (φ_B) has been driven by its manifestation in various interesting quantum mechanical and optical phenomena. In helical fibre structures, the generation of φ_B is well documented [1,2], and recently the amplification of Berry’s phase using a ring resonator was observed [3]. In this work, we show it is theoretically possible to generate a large Berry’s phase using compact optical microcoil resonators (OMRs) formed by tightly winding a microfibre around a rod such that light can evanescently couple between neighbouring turns. In particular, the effect of φ_B on the OMR transmission is analysed, in order to understand the associated polarisation effects which are potentially important for developing OMR applications.

© 2011 Optical Society of America