Comparison of Quantum and Classical Localfield Effects on TwoLevel Atoms in a Dielectric.pdfVIP

Comparison of Quantum and Classical Local-field Effects on Two-Level Atoms in a Dielectric Michael E. Crenshaw AMSRD-AMR-WS-ST, US Army RDECOM, Aviation and Missile RDEC, Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898, USA (Dated: June 11, 2008) The macroscopic quantum theory of the electromagnetic field in a dielectric medium interacting with embedded two-level atoms fails to reproduce a result that is obtained from an application of the classical Lorentz local-field condition. In order to retain the Lorentz condition, the macro- scopic quantum electrodynamic theory must be supplanted by its more fundamental microscopic counterpart. We apply microscopic quantum electrodynamics and derive dielectric effects that are consistent with those obtained from the optical Bloch equations using the local-field condition. 8 0 PACS numbers: 42.50.Ct,42.50.Nn,03.50.De 0 2 n I. INTRODUCTION have re-analyzed much of the experimental record and u found that the measurements of the index dependence J of the spontaneous emission rate are typically being per- 1 The effect of a dielectric host medium on the spon- formed on real-cavity systems. The real-cavity result can taneous emission rate of a two-level atom remains an 1