Abstract
The cyclotron motion of a single electron in a Penning trap interacts with the microwave cavity formed by the metal electrodes of the trap. The spontaneous emission rate for the cyclotron motion changes by a measurable amount.1 The rate is measured by monitoring the energy in the cyclotron motion via the relativistic mass shift2 as a function of the time elapsed after a drive of the cyclotron motion at 164 GHz is turned off. Changing the magnetic field changes the cyclotron frequency with respect to the eigenfrequencies of the microwave cavity. The spontaneous emission rate varies from 4 times slower to somewhat faster than the rate in free space over the range of cyclotron frequencies which could be covered. The observation of inhibited spontaneous emission was preceded by the observation of a cavitylike effect using excited molecules deposited on layers of fatty acid molecules3 and was followed by observations with Rydberg atoms.4 An earlier proposal of studies with Rydberg atoms5 focused our attention on this problem.
© 1986 Optical Society of America
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A. E. KAPLAN
FEE2 International Quantum Electronics Conference (IQEC) 1986
DANIEL KLEPPNER
WFF1 International Quantum Electronics Conference (IQEC) 1986
Hans Dehmelt
WC1 International Laser Science Conference (ILS) 1986