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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Inhibited spontaneous emission in solid-state electronics

Eli Yablonovitch

Published Feb 1, 1987• 6 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

It has been recognized for some time1 that the spontaneous emission of atoms is not necessarily a fixed and immutable property of coupling between matter and space but that it can be controlled by modifying the properties of the radiation field. Recently there have been experiments in which the spontaneous emission of Rydberg atoms2 and Penning trapped electrons3 has been inhibited in a microwave cavity which had no electromagnetic modes at the transition frequency.

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It has been recognized for some time1 that the spontaneous emission of atoms is not necessarily a fixed and immutable property of coupling between matter and space but that it can be controlled by modifying the properties of the radiation field. Recently there have been experiments in which the spontaneous emission of Rydberg atoms2 and Penning trapped electrons3 has been inhibited in a microwave cavity which had no electromagnetic modes at the transition frequency.
Spontaneous emission from an excited atomic state reflects the properties of the surrounding vacuum field. By placing the atom near a metallic surface or in a cavity, one can modify the spectral density of the vacuum modes coupled to it and either enhance1 or inhibit2 spontaneous emission. Large enhancement3 or inhibition effects have been obtained recently in microwave experiments involving either Rydberg atoms4 or a trapped electron5 radiating in cavities whose sizes were of the order of one-tenth of a millimeter to a centimeter.
It is well known that spontaneous emission is not an intrinsic atomic property, but rather results from the coupling of the atom to the vacuum modes of the electromagnetic field. As such, it can be modified by tailoring the electromagnetic environment into which the atom can radiate. This was already realized by Purcell, who noted that the spontaneous emission rate can be enhanced if the atom placed inside a cavity is resonant with one of the cavity is resonant with one of the cavity modes, and by Kleppner, who discussed the opposite case of inhibited spontaneous emission. It has also been recognized that spontaneous emission need not be an irreversible process. Indeed, a system consisting of a single atom coupled to a single mode of the electromagnetic field undergoes a periodic exchange of excitation between the atom and the field. This periodic exchange remains dominant as long as the strength of the coupling between the atom and a cavity mode is itself dominant. 23 refs., 6 figs.