Whispering-gallery modes in shielded hemispherical dielectric resonators

The results of the numerical and experimental investigations of whispering-gallery (WG) modes in shielded hemispherical dielectric resonators are presented in this paper. It is shown that the Q factor of WG modes in the shielded resonator can be ten times much higher than the Q factor of the similar open hemispherical dielectric-resonator modes. Shielding the resonator can decrease the dimensions of both the dielectric hemisphere and resonator as a whole, saving the high-Q factor of WG modes. The usage of a cylindrical shield and local flat reflectors in the experiment provides the investigation of the high-Q factor of WG modes in the resonator.