Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics

TLDR

Spontaneous emission, traditionally viewed as an inherent property of excited atoms, actually arises from the atom–vacuum system and its irreversibility due to the infinite vacuum states available to the emitted photon. By altering these vacuum states—e.g., placing an excited atom between mirrors or inside a cavity—spontaneous emission can be substantially inhibited or enhanced.

Abstract

Ever since Einstein demonstrated that spontaneous emission must occur if matter and radiation are to achieve thermal equilibrium, physicists have generally believed that excited atoms inevitably radiate. Spontaneous emission is so fundamental that it is usually regarded as an inherent property of matter. This view, however, overlooks the fact that spontaneous emission is not a property of an isolated atom but of an atom-vacuum system. The most distinctive feature of such emission, irreversibility, comes about because an infinity of vacuum states is available to the radiated photon. If these states are modified—for instance, by placing the excited atom between mirrors or in a cavity—spontaneous emission can be greatly inhibited or enhanced.