Abstract

The one-dimensional open cavity is a system for which the canonical quantization of electromagnetic fields can be performed explicitly. The normal modes for the complete system—the cavity and outside world—are a continuum, and their wave functions are characterized by a succession of resonances in the relative amplitude of the wave functions inside and outside of the cavity. The resonances in the amplitude of the fields inside the cavity can be identified with the open-cavity modes. With the introduction of complex propagation vectors for the modes, we can effectively quantize these modes and use them to describe the field inside the cavity.

© 1992 Optical Society of America