Quantum electrodynamics in the presence of dielectrics and conductors. III. Relations among one-photon transition probabilities in stationary and nonstationary fields, density of states, the field-correlation functions, and surface-dependent response functions

Abstract

In this paper the physical entities such as transition probabilities and the density of states are related to appropriate electromagnetic-field correlation functions and to appropriate response functions. Such response functions have already been computed in a previous paper and therefore these can be used to obtain surface-dependent corrections. It is shown how the density of states and hence Planck's law depends on the presence of surfaces. I explicitly calculate the correction terms for the case of a small blackbody bounded by two plane conducting surfaces. An appreciable correction occurs if the linear dimensions of the blackbody are of the order of a wavelength. Next electric-dipole-type transitions in atomic systems are considered and a straightforward perturbation theory is used to obtain one-photon transition probabilities in terms of the surface-dependent response functions. As an illustration of the surface-dependent terms, the transitions in presence of a conducting surface are considered. The transition probabilities show a marked increase or decrease depending on whether the dipole transition is parallel or perpendicular to the surface. Both stationary and nonstationary fields are considered. As a special case of nonstationary fields, the transitions in a coherent field are considered in detail. It is also shown how the coherent radiation field in presence of dielectrics can be realized. It is found that if the radiation field, in arbitrary geometries, is initially in vacuum state then at later times it would be found in a coherent state if perturbed by an external (c-number) electromagnetic field.