Quantum analysis and the classical analysis of spontaneous emission in a microcavity - art. no. 033807

Starting from a quantum Maxwell equation for the vector potential operator, we study the spontaneous emission properties of a two-level atom interacti ng with the electromagnetic field in a lossless and inhomogeneous dielectri c structure and express the spontaneous emission rate, the external quantum efficiency, and the spontaneous emission factor in terms of the classical Green function of the dielectric structure. Comparing these results with th e corresponding classical results, we show that the above quantifies can be calculated from the radiation field of a classical dipole. Based on this c orrespondence, a numerical algorithm is developed to calculate the modifica tion of spontaneous emission in microcavities. The line shape of the emissi on spectrum of the light source and the decay of the cavity resonant modes are automatically taken into account in this algorithm. The approximate exp ressions for the spontaneous emission rate and the spontaneous emission fac tor are discussed.