# Vacuum Rabi oscillation

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A vacuum Rabi oscillation is a damped oscillation of an initially excited atom coupled to an electromagnetic resonator or cavity in which the atom alternately emits photon(s) into a single-mode electromagnetic cavity and reabsorbs them. The atom interacts with a single-mode field confined to a limited volume V in an optical cavity. [1] [2][3] Spontaneous emission results as a consequence of coupling between the atom and the vacuum fluctuations of the cavity field. The vacuum Rabi frequency is given by

$\omega = \frac {2}{ \hbar } \mathcal{E} f( \mathbf{R} )\langle \mathbf{p \cdot \epsilon} \rangle \ .$

where R is the location of the atom, f ( R ) = exp ( i k.R) for plane-wave fields, ε is the field polarization, $\mathcal{E}$ = [ ħ ωk / ( 2 ε0 V )]1/2 is the electric field per photon, and < p.ε > is the dipole matrix element.

## References and notes

1. ^ Hiroyuki Yokoyama & Ujihara K (1995). Spontaneous emission and laser oscillation in microcavities. Boca Raton: CRC Press. p. p. 6. ISBN 0-8493-3786-0.
2. ^ Kerry Vahala (2004). Optical microcavities. Singapore: World Scientific. p. p. 368. ISBN 981-238-775-7.
3. ^ Rodney Loudon (2000). The quantum theory of light. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. p. 172. ISBN 0-19-850177-3.