EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS FROM DIPOLES WITH FIXED POSITIONS IN FABRY-PEROT CAVITIES

Spectral characteristics of emission from Fabry-Perot Perot cavities c ontaining dipoles with fixed positions are calculated. We show that th e emission characteristics can have a sensitive dependence on the prec ise location of the dipoles. When the dipoles have a fixed position th e usual analysis of the emission in terms of the cavity transmission c haracteristics becomes invalid. Interference effects which lead to the spectral characteristics are then determined by the details of the in teraction between the cavity reflectors and the spontaneous wave-packe ts emitted from the excited dipoles. Typical measured emission which r esembles cavity transmission spectra actually results from averaging o ver many dipole positions. For dipole locations close to a cavity refl ector, that is within the first-order coherence length of the spontane ous emission, total emission into all cavity modes can be either incre ased or decreased depending on the precise dipole location. An example of the dipole localization effects is given in the experimental emiss ion characteristics from a semiconductor Fabry-Perot cavity.