Whispering-gallery wave known as surface plasmons has been demonstrated in the form of whispering-gallery waves, and likewise for exciton-polaritons in semiconductors. Galleries simultaneously containing both acoustic and optical whispering-gallery waves have also been made, exhibiting very strong mode coupling and coherent effects. Hybrid solid-fluid-optical whispering-gallery structures have been observed as well. Whispering-gallery wave Whispering-gallery waves, or whispering-gallery modes, are a type of wave that can travel around a concave surface. Originally discovered for sound waves in the whispering gallery of St Paul’s Cathedral, they can exist for light and for other waves, with important applications in nondestructive testing, lasing, cooling and sensing,
Whispering-gallery wave of organ pipes. The sound forms patterns called modes, as shown in the diagram. Many other monuments have been shown to exhibit whispering-gallery waves, such as the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. In the strict definition of whispering-gallery waves, they cannot exist when the guiding surface becomes straight. Mathematically this corresponds to the limit of an infinite radius of curvature. Whispering-gallery waves are guided by the effect of the wall curvature. Optical whispering-gallery mode can be implemented in making high precision optical sensors. For example, they can be used in the form of hollow