Rotation-induced evolution of far-field emission patterns of deformed microdisk cavities

We study rotation-induced asymmetry of far-field emission from optical microcavities, based on which a new scheme of rotation detection may be developed. It is free from the "dead zone" caused by the frequency splitting of standing-wave resonances at rest, in contrast to the Sagnac effect. A coupled-mode theory is employed to provide a quantitative explanation and guidance on the optimization of the far-field sensitivity to rotation. We estimate that a 10^4 enhancement of the minimal detectable rotation speed can be achieved by measuring the far-field asymmetry, instead of the Sagnac effect, in microcavities 5 microns in radius and with distinct emission directions for clockwise and counterclockwise waves.