DECAY OF EXCITED MOLECULES IN ABSORBING PLANAR CAVITIES

The decay rate of an excited molecule (atom) embedded in a dispersive and absorbing planar cavity is derived by using a recently obtained co mpact form of the Green's function for a multilayer. As a by-product, a hint is provided for a straightforward extension of the results obta ined for lossless cavities of other shapes to the corresponding absorb ing cavities. The decay rate in an absorbing cavity consists of the sp ontaneous emission rate and of the nonradiative rates caused by the ne ar-field interaction of the molecule with the cavity medium and, for n earby molecules, with the cavity mirrors. Only the spontaneous emissio n rate is satisfactorily described in the macroscopic approach adopted . The theory is applied to an analysis of the effects of the weak cavi ty absorption on the decay rate in a dielectric microcavity formed by two metallic mirrors. As expected, dissipation in the cavity medium sp oils the conditions for controlled spontaneuos emission and strongly s uppresses the intensity of spontaneous emission. However, its effect o n the spontaneous emission rate is much less pronounced. [S1050-2947(9 7)03411-2].