THEORY OF SPONTANEOUS EMISSION OBSERVED OUTSIDE A MICROCAVITY

A formula describing the intensity of spontaneous emission outside a p lanar microcavity is derived quantum mechanically. It reflects the qua ntum mechanical interference of the atom and the emitted photon via mu ltiple reflections in the cavity. The expression derived for the power spectrum reproduces the results of the classical theory by Huang et a l. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 61 (1992) 2961]. The quantum mechanical expressi on for the electric field amplitude for a single emission event is giv en together with its evolution equation.