  The length spectra of flat three-dimensional dielectric resonators of
circular shape were determined from a microwave experiment. They were compared
to a semiclassical trace formula obtained within a two-dimensional model based
on the effective index of refraction approximation and a good agreement was
found. It was necessary to take into account the dispersion of the effective
index of refraction for the two-dimensional approximation. Furthermore, small
deviations between the experimental length spectrum and the trace formula
prediction were attributed to the systematic error of the effective index of
refraction approximation. In summary, the methods developed in this article
enable the application of the trace formula for two-dimensional dielectric
resonators also to realistic, flat three-dimensional dielectric microcavities
and -lasers, allowing for the interpretation of their spectra in terms of
classical periodic orbits.
