Inhibited spontaneous emission by a Rydberg atom
Abstract
Spontaneous radiation by an atom in a Rydberg state has been inhibited by use of parallel conducting planes to eliminate the vacuum modes at the transition frequency. Spontaneous emission is observed to 'turn off' abruptly at the cutoff frequency of the waveguidelike structure and the natural lifetime is measured to increase by a factor of at least 20.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- November 1985
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.55.2137
- Bibcode:
- 1985PhRvL..55.2137H
- Keywords:
-
- Atomic Beams;
- Cesium;
- Rydberg Series;
- Spontaneous Emission;
- Atomic Clocks;
- Decay Rates;
- Electric Fields;
- Atomic and Molecular Physics;
- 32.80.-t;
- 31.60.+b;
- Photon interactions with atoms