Vacuum Rabi oscillation 

A vacuum Rabi oscillation is a damped oscillation of an initially excited atom coupled to an electromagnetic resonator or cavity in which the atom alternately emits photon(s) into a single-mode electromagnetic cavity and reabsorbs them. The atom interacts with a single-mode field confined to a a limited volume V in an optical cavity. 1 23 Spontaneous emission results as a consequence of coupling between the atom and the vacuum fluctuations of the cavity field. The vacuum Rabi frequency is given by

\omega = \frac {2}{ \hbar } \mathcal{E} f( \mathbf{R} )\langle \mathbf{p \cdot \epsilon} \rangle \ .

where R is the location of the atom, f ( R ) = exp ( i k.R) for plane-wave fields, ε is the field polarization, \mathcal{E} = [ ħ ωk / ( 2 ε0 V )]1/2 is the electric field per photon, and < p.ε > is the dipole matrix element.

References and notes

  1. ^ Hiroyuki Yokoyama & Ujihara K (1995). Spontaneous emission and laser oscillation in microcavities. Boca Raton: CRC Press. p.p. 6. ISBN 0849337860, http://books.google.com/books?id=J_0ZAwf6AQ0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22spontaneous+emission%22&lr=&as_brr=0&sig=QbNGpi5P0uTHxwhHDECXhG2VA9M#PPA6,M1. 
  2. ^ Kerry Vahala (2004). Optical microcavities. Singapore: World Scientific. p.p. 368. ISBN 9812387757, http://books.google.com/books?id=_HZb9ha7gysC&pg=PA369&dq=vacuum+%22Rabi+frequency%22&lr=&as_brr=0&sig=bQ7fPtE-A53x3yRiu51dXWpVZL0#PPA368,M1. 
  3. ^ Rodney Loudon (2000). The quantum theory of light. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. p.172. ISBN 0198501773, http://books.google.com/books?id=AEkfajgqldoC&pg=PA172&dq=vacuum+%22Rabi+frequency%22&lr=&as_brr=0&sig=CCmRh3g_ZE1xWCDXiJ3nUt3Pfmg. 

See also