Abstract
An excited atom placed inside a cylindrical nanocavity cannot radiate if the frequency of emission is below the cutoff frequency for electromagnetic wave propagation in the cavity. However, we demonstrate that it can be de-excited through the emission of surface plasmons. The observable effect will be a substantial enhancement in the life- time of dipole-allowed transitions. The recently discovered carbon nanotubules are explored as potential nanometer-scale cylindrical cavities, and the lifetimes of excited states of helium (2p → 1s) in the carbon nanocavities are calculated as an example of this nonradiative decay mechanism.
© 1995 Optical Society of America
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