Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

The Journal of Chemical Physics

Decay of an emitting dipole between two parallel mirrors

R. R. Chance, Alfred Prock, R. Silbey

Published Feb 1, 1975• 30 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A classical treatment is presented for the modification of the emission rate of an atom between two parallel mirrors. For the case of two perfectly reflecting mirrors, the results are identical with previous treatments of this problem using a quantum mechanical approach. The purely classical treatment has the advantage of being able to treat nonperfectly reflecting mirrors.

DOI
10.1063/1.430523

Related papers

Spontaneous emission of atomic dipoles near two-sided semi-transparent mirrors

Dawson, Benjamin, Nicholas Furtak-Wells, Thomas Mann +2 more

Atom-field interactions near optical interfaces have a wide range of applications in quantum technology. Motivated by this, this paper revisits the spontaneous emission of atomic dipoles in the presence of a two sided semi-transparent mirror. First we review the main properties of the quantised electromagnetic field near a semi-transparent mirror. To do so, we employ a quantum mirror image detector method which maps the experimental setup which we consider here onto analogous free space scenarios. We emphasise that the local density of states of the electromagnetic field depends on the reflection rates of both sides of the mirror surface. Hence it is not surprising that also the spontaneous decay rate of an atomic dipole in front of a semi-transparent mirror depends on both reflectance rates. Although the effect which we describe here only holds for relatively short atom-mirror distances, it can aid the design of novel photonics devices.

arXiv:2004.10897•Apr 22, 2020•0 citations

Spontaneous emission of an atomic dipole near a semi-transparent mirror in free space

Benjamin Dawson, Nicholas Furtak-Wells, Thomas Mann +2 more

Atom-field interactions near optical interfaces have a wide range of applications in quantum technology. Motivated by this, this paper revisits the spontaneous emission of atomic dipoles in the presence of a two sided semi-transparent mirror. First we review the main properties of the quantised electromagnetic field near a semitransparent mirror. To do so, we employ a quantum mirror image detector method which maps the experimental setup which we consider here onto analogous free space scenarios. We emphasise that the local density of states of the electromagnetic field depends on the reflection rates of both sides of the mirror surface. Hence it is not surprising that also the spontaneous decay rate of an atomic dipole in front of a semi-transparent mirror depends on both reflectance rates. Although the effect which we describe here only holds for relatively short atom-mirror distances, it can aid the design of novel photonics devices.

SPIE Nanophotonics•Apr 1, 2020•1 citation

Application of closed-orbit Theory to the Spontaneous Emission of an Atom in the Vicinity of a Mirror

Zhengmao Jia, Hui Zhou, Lin Sheng-Lu

Quantum electrodynamics formulas are applied to calculate the spontaneous emission rate of an excited atom in the vicinity of a perfect reflecting mirror. The result exhibits that damping oscillating patterns depend sensitively on the distance of the atom to the mirror. And then we use Fourier transform to extract the corresponding frequency of the osciations. In order to explain this phenomena, we are the first to utilize the closed-orbit theory to deal with the spontaneous emission rate of an emitted photon near a mirror. So this study provides a different perspective on the spontaneous emission of atoms in environments.

Journal of Atomic and Molecular Physics•Jan 1, 2008•0 citations

Atomic Radiation in a Cavity

P. Stehle

The spontaneous decay of an atom located between two parallel plane mirrors of reflectivity $R$ is calculated using the Weisskopf-Wigner method, both when the two mirrors are very large and when they are small. When the mirrors are large and of high reflectivity, the atom radiates more rapidly than in free space and into the Fabry-Perot modes of the mirror system. When the mirrors are small, their effect on the total radiation rate is small, but radiation into the few modes defined is enhanced if the reflectivity is high. It is concluded that the effect of the presence of a laser etalon is insufficient to justify omitting the coupling of the atom to non-Fabry-Perot modes from the Hamiltonian of an atomic system in a laser etalon.

Physical Review A•Jul 1, 1970•67 citations

Cavity-modified spontaneous emission: From Rabi oscillations to exponential decay

H. Gie\Sen, Jill D. Berger, Georg Mohs +2 more

We revisit the problem of spontaneous emission by a two-level system in a cavity, concentrating in particular on those aspects associated with the finite propagation time of light between the atom and the cavity boundaries. We find that spontaneous emission always occurs first at the free space rate and there is then an abrupt change in these dynamics when light reflected by the cavity mirrors returns to the atom, leading to interference effects that result either in an enhancement or a reduction of this rate or in a periodic exchange of excitation between the atom and the cavity field. From this point of view, reversible spontaneous emission in terms of single-mode ``vacuum Rabi oscillations'' can be interpreted as resulting from the interference between the multimode partial waves reflected at the cavity mirrors and the instantaneously radiated light. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

Physical Review A•Apr 1, 1996•49 citations

Mirror, mirror, on the wall – is the photon there at all?

Jonathan P. Dowling

One of the most curious predictions of quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the suppression of spontaneous emission from an excited atom sitting between two parallel mirrors. Although this effect has been measured experimentally and calculated from full QED theory, there are two different interpretations of what actually happens – a partially quantum mechanical explanation in which both the atom and the radiation field are quantized, and a semiclassical interpretation in which the radiation field is treated classically. While both viewpoints provide an intuitive explanation of the effect, they seem to yield conflicting answers to the question: what happens if one of the mirrors is suddenly replaced by a photodetector?

Physics World•May 1, 1995•1 citation
A classical treatment is presented for the modification of the emission rate of an atom between two parallel mirrors. For the case of two perfectly reflecting mirrors, the results are identical with previous treatments of this problem using a quantum mechanical approach. The purely classical treatment has the advantage of being able to treat nonperfectly reflecting mirrors.
Atom-field interactions near optical interfaces have a wide range of applications in quantum technology. Motivated by this, this paper revisits the spontaneous emission of atomic dipoles in the presence of a two sided semi-transparent mirror. First we review the main properties of the quantised electromagnetic field near a semi-transparent mirror. To do so, we employ a quantum mirror image detector method which maps the experimental setup which we consider here onto analogous free space scenarios. We emphasise that the local density of states of the electromagnetic field depends on the reflection rates of both sides of the mirror surface. Hence it is not surprising that also the spontaneous decay rate of an atomic dipole in front of a semi-transparent mirror depends on both reflectance rates. Although the effect which we describe here only holds for relatively short atom-mirror distances, it can aid the design of novel photonics devices.
Atom-field interactions near optical interfaces have a wide range of applications in quantum technology. Motivated by this, this paper revisits the spontaneous emission of atomic dipoles in the presence of a two sided semi-transparent mirror. First we review the main properties of the quantised electromagnetic field near a semitransparent mirror. To do so, we employ a quantum mirror image detector method which maps the experimental setup which we consider here onto analogous free space scenarios. We emphasise that the local density of states of the electromagnetic field depends on the reflection rates of both sides of the mirror surface. Hence it is not surprising that also the spontaneous decay rate of an atomic dipole in front of a semi-transparent mirror depends on both reflectance rates. Although the effect which we describe here only holds for relatively short atom-mirror distances, it can aid the design of novel photonics devices.
Quantum electrodynamics formulas are applied to calculate the spontaneous emission rate of an excited atom in the vicinity of a perfect reflecting mirror. The result exhibits that damping oscillating patterns depend sensitively on the distance of the atom to the mirror. And then we use Fourier transform to extract the corresponding frequency of the osciations. In order to explain this phenomena, we are the first to utilize the closed-orbit theory to deal with the spontaneous emission rate of an emitted photon near a mirror. So this study provides a different perspective on the spontaneous emission of atoms in environments.
The spontaneous decay of an atom located between two parallel plane mirrors of reflectivity RRR is calculated using the Weisskopf-Wigner method, both when the two mirrors are very large and when they are small. When the mirrors are large and of high reflectivity, the atom radiates more rapidly than in free space and into the Fabry-Perot modes of the mirror system. When the mirrors are small, their effect on the total radiation rate is small, but radiation into the few modes defined is enhanced if the reflectivity is high. It is concluded that the effect of the presence of a laser etalon is insufficient to justify omitting the coupling of the atom to non-Fabry-Perot modes from the Hamiltonian of an atomic system in a laser etalon.
We revisit the problem of spontaneous emission by a two-level system in a cavity, concentrating in particular on those aspects associated with the finite propagation time of light between the atom and the cavity boundaries. We find that spontaneous emission always occurs first at the free space rate and there is then an abrupt change in these dynamics when light reflected by the cavity mirrors returns to the atom, leading to interference effects that result either in an enhancement or a reduction of this rate or in a periodic exchange of excitation between the atom and the cavity field. From this point of view, reversible spontaneous emission in terms of single-mode ``vacuum Rabi oscillations'' can be interpreted as resulting from the interference between the multimode partial waves reflected at the cavity mirrors and the instantaneously radiated light. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
One of the most curious predictions of quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the suppression of spontaneous emission from an excited atom sitting between two parallel mirrors. Although this effect has been measured experimentally and calculated from full QED theory, there are two different interpretations of what actually happens – a partially quantum mechanical explanation in which both the atom and the radiation field are quantized, and a semiclassical interpretation in which the radiation field is treated classically. While both viewpoints provide an intuitive explanation of the effect, they seem to yield conflicting answers to the question: what happens if one of the mirrors is suddenly replaced by a photodetector?