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Le Journal de Physique Colloques

INHIBITED SPONTANEOUS EMISSION IN THREE DIMENSIONALLY MODULATED PERIODIC DIELECTRIC STRUCTURES

Eli Yablonovitch

Published Nov 1, 1987• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Spontaneous radiative recombination of electrons and holes, occurring for example in semiconductor lasers, has long been regarded as unavoidable. Until recently the same may have been said about the spontaneous radiative decay of excited atoms. It is now becoming recognized1-3 that spontaneous emission is not necessarily a fixed and immutable property of the coupling between matter and space, but, that it can be controlled by modifying the properties of the radiation field.

DOI
10.1051/jphyscol:19875132

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Spontaneous radiative recombination of electrons and holes, occurring for example in semiconductor lasers, has long been regarded as unavoidable. Until recently the same may have been said about the spontaneous radiative decay of excited atoms. It is now becoming recognized1-3 that spontaneous emission is not necessarily a fixed and immutable property of the coupling between matter and space, but, that it can be controlled by modifying the properties of the radiation field.
Introduction Ever since 1916/17 when Einstein argued [45] [46] that spontaneous emission must occur if matter and radiation are to achieve thermal equilibrium, physicists have believed that spontaneous emission is an inherent quantum mechanical property of atoms and that excited atoms inevitably radiate. This view, however, overlooks the fact that spontaneous emission is a consequence of the coupling of quantized energy states of atoms with the quantized radiation field, and is a manifestation of quantum noise or of emission ‘stimulated’ by ‘vacuum fluctuations’. An infinity of vacuum states is available to the photon radiated by an excited atom placed in free space, leading to the effective irreversibility of such emissions. If these vacuum states are modified, as for example by placing an excited atom between closely spaced mirrors or in a small cavity (essentially the Casimir effect), spontaneous emission can be greatly inhibited or enhanced or even made reversible. Recent advances in atomic and optical techniques have made it possible to control and manipulate spontaneous emission. A whole new branch of quantum optics called ‘cavity QED’ has developed since 1987 utilizing these dramatic changes in spontaneous emission rates in cavities to construct new kinds of microscopic masers or micromasers that operate with a single atom and a few photons or with photons emitted in pairs in a two-photon transition.
Ever since Einstein demonstrated that spontaneous emission must occur if matter and radiation are to achieve thermal equilibrium, physicists have generally believed that excited atoms inevitably radiate. Spontaneous emission is so fundamental that it is usually regarded as an inherent property of matter. This view, however, overlooks the fact that spontaneous emission is not a property of an isolated atom but of an atom-vacuum system. The most distinctive feature of such emission, irreversibility, comes about because an infinity of vacuum states is available to the radiated photon. If these states are modified—for instance, by placing the excited atom between mirrors or in a cavity—spontaneous emission can be greatly inhibited or enhanced.
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.
Spontaneous emission plays a fundamental role in all radiative processes. It limits the lifetime of excited atoms, causing basic uncertainty in their energies. It sets the scale for absorption and stimulated emission, providing a natural scale for the coupling of matter and radiation. It is the ultimate source of noise in nature. Spontaneous emission is such a ubiquitous process that its occurrence is generally taken for granted. In principle, however, spontaneous emission can be altered, either enhanced or inhibited, allowing one to modify primary radiative processes. Experimental techniques are available for realizing these possibilities, and a new area of radiative phenomena is opening for study.