Self-localization of whispering-gallery modes in a spherical microcavity filled with a cold electron plasma

Abstract

We have studied the mechanisms and conditions for self-localization of laser radiation in a cold collisionless electron plasma for a spherical microcavity in the quasistatic approximation, taking into account the appearance of striction nonlinearity and also relativistic effects connected with forced oscillatory motion of the electrons. We have shown that when whispering-gallery modes interact nonlinearly with the electron plasma, a spherical plasmon is excited which is localized within the finite volume of the microsphere. We have established that realization of self-localized spherical structures, in the form of an electromagnetic field and spherical plasmons within a microcavity filled with a cold electron plasma, is primarily due to appearance of relativistic nonlinearity of the medium.