Three-dimensional limaçon: Properties and applications

We perform electromagnetic wave simulations of fully three-dimensional optical Lima\c{c}on-microcavities, one basis for their future applications in microlasers and photonic devices. The analysis of the three-dimensional modes and far-fields reveals an increase of the quality factors as compared to the two-dimensional case. The structure of the far-field in the third dimension shows pronounced maxima in the emission directionality inclined to the resonator plane which may be exploited for coupling the resonator modes to the environment. This triggers ideas for technical applications, like the suggested sensor that can detect small changes in the environment based on changes in the emission profile.