Quantum theory of atomic fluorescence near a metal surface

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Abstract
Quantum electrodynamics of an atom near a surface is a timely problem in current theoretical research. It appears, however, that a full dynamical theory, which includes both the time evolution of the atomic density operator and the details of the fluorescence radiation (temporal photon distribution) has never been formulated. In this paper the quantum theory of an atom near a perfect conductor is presented, and it is indicated how the formalism can be modified to account for more realistic optically active substrates. An expression is derived for the atomic spontaneous-decay Liouville operator from the Hamiltonian, which recovers the familiar results for the lifetimes and energy shifts. Furthermore, the emitted power is calculated as a function of time from the explicit expression for the radiation field. Comparison of the atomic-decay rates with the power of the emitted radiation shows the consistency of the theory, as far as the properties of the fluoresence are concerned. An unusual energy interference in the fluorescence, which is emitted by a multilevel atom, is predicted. Similarities and discrepancies with other theories are pointed out, and it is shown that especially the mirror theory has a very restricted applicability.