Abstract

In 1946 it was pointed out that the spontaneous emission probability of a nuclear spin transition could be modified by coupling the spin system to a resonant electrical circuit i.e. a resonator.¹ Analogous effects were expected in the case of electronic transitions and such effects have been demonstrated experimentally using λ-scale structures.^2,3 Only recently has it been recognized that radiative decay rates can be affected by cavities whose spatial extent greatly exceeds λ. Observations in the optical regime using centimeter-scale cavities have confirmed this fact.^4,5

© 1993 Optical Society of America