Abstract

More than three decades have passed since Jaynes and Cummings published their seminal paper on the “Comparison of Quantum and Semiclassical Radiation Theories with Application to the Beam Maser” [1], The quantum radiation theory discussed in that paper is now known as the Jaynes-Cummings model. Numerous theoretical papers featuring this model have been published, stimulated in recent years by the experimental realization of the micromaser [2], Few of these papers, however, engage the central issue of the original work - the relationship between the quantum and semiclassical theories of radiation. Those which do deal with a multimode version of the semiclassical theory [3]; a theory applicable to atoms radiating in free space. A clear weakness of this theory is its inadequate account of spontaneous emission, as demonstrated explicitly in experiments [4].

© 1996 Optical Society of America