The standard model in cavity quantum electrodynamics. I. General features of mode functions for a Fabry-Perot cavity

Abstract

In the present and the accompanying paper a justification of the standard model of cavity quantum electrodynamics is given in terms of a quasi-mode theory of macroscopic canonical quantization. The coupling of the cavity quasi-mode to external quasi-modes is treated for the representative case of the three-dimensional Fabry-Perot cavity. The general form of the travelling and trapped mode functions for this cavity are derived in this paper and the mode-mode coupling constants are calculated in the accompanying paper. The slow dependence of the coupling constants with the mode frequency difference demonstrates that the conditions for Markovian damping of the cavity quasimode are satisfied. As also discussed in the accompanying paper, the interaction of radiative atoms with cavity quasi-modes is associated with reversible energy exchanges between atom and cavity and represented by Rabi coupling constants. The interaction of radiative atoms located within the cavity with sideways travelling external quasi-modes involves slowly varying coupling constants and is associated with irreversible spontaneous emission dampling. The basic processes represented in the standard cavity quantum electrodynamics model and the associated coupling constant and decay rates thereby follow from the quasi-mode theory.