Abstract
It is now well established1 that the rate of spontaneous emission for a given transition is not an immutable property of matter but exhibits strong coupling with the electromagnetic environment. The classical model of a harmonically bound charge reacting to its own scattered field was developed2 to explain anomalies observed in the lifetime of excited states of molecules positioned near metallic surfaces. Such a model quantitatively agrees with experimental data.3 Other approaches4,5 using quantum electrodynamics have led to essentially the same predictions.
© 1991 Optical Society of America
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