Light in asymmetric resonators: chaos, tunneling and localization

Dielectric spheres and cylinders can support high-Q modes due to internal reflection of the light. However, small deviations of the shape of these resonators away from symmetry lead to the onset of chaotic ray dynamics and the resulting change of the mode patterns. We demonstrate that in such conditions mode lifetimes are determined by the phenomena of chaos-assisted tunneling and dynamical localization, and develop a quantitative theory of this effect.