Optical photonic band gaps and the Lamb shift
Abstract
A three-dimensional photonic band gap (PBG) at optical wavelengths can significantly alter atomic spontaneous emission. However, a rigorous solution based on a full vectorial quantum electrodynamics shows that the Lamb shift for atomic hydrogen embedded in such a PBG differs negligibly from the value in vacuum. This is significantly contrasted with previous conclusions of an anomalous Lamb shift or an extraordinarily small Lamb shift, which were drawn based on scalar models.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- March 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.63.121305
- Bibcode:
- 2001PhRvB..63l1305L
- Keywords:
-
- 42.70.Qs;
- 32.80.-t;
- 42.50.Dv;
- Photonic bandgap materials;
- Photon interactions with atoms;
- Nonclassical states of the electromagnetic field including entangled photon states;
- quantum state engineering and measurements