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Review

Spontaneous emission of an atom in the presence of nanobodies

V. V. Klimov^a, M. Ducloy^b, V. S. Letokhov<sup>c

a</sup> P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
^b Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, University Paris-Nord, Institut Galilee, France
^c Institute of Spectroscopy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Moscow

Abstract: The effect of nanobodies, i.e., the bodies whose size is small compared to the emission wavelength, on spontaneous emission of an atom located near them is considered. The results of calculations performed within the framework of quantum and classical electrodynamics are presented both in analytic and graphical forms and can be readily used for planning experiments and analysis of experimental data. It is shown that nanobodies can be used to control efficiently the rate of spontaneous transitions. Thus, an excited atom located near a nanocylinder or a nanospheroid pole, whose transition dipole moment is directed normally to the nanobody surface, can decay with the rate that is tens and hundreds times higher than the decay rate in a free space. In the case of some (negative) dielectric constants, the decay rate can increase by a factor of 10⁵–10⁶ and more. On the other hand, the decay of an excited atom whose transition dipole moment is directed tangentially to the nanobody surface substantially slows down. The probability of nonradiative decay of the excited state is shown to increase substantially in the presence of na-nobodies possessing losses.

PACS: 32.50.+d, 78.67.-n

Received: 19.01.2001

 English version: Quantum Electronics, 2001, 31:7, 569–586

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