Quantum electrodynamics in photonic crystals and controllability of ionization energy of atoms

TL;DR

This paper explores how photonic crystals with tunable electromagnetic properties can significantly alter atomic ionization energies, enabling controllability of atomic properties through engineered electromagnetic environments.

Contribution

It demonstrates that modifying electromagnetic fields in photonic crystals can controllably change atomic ionization energies, a novel approach to atomic property manipulation.

Findings

Ionization energy can be significantly modified in photonic crystal environments.

Electromagnetic field modifications influence electron mass and atomic properties.

Controllability of ionization energies over a wide range is achievable.

Abstract

The periodic changes in the physical and chemical properties of the chemical elements are caused by the periodic change of the ionization energies, which are constant for each element that manifested in the Periodic Table. However, as has been recently shown the modification of the electromagnetic field in the photonic crystals gives rise to the modification of the electron electromagnetic mass. We show that the effect can significantly change the ionization energy of atoms placed in voids of photonic crystals consisting of metamaterials with a highly tunable refractive index and voids. The controllability of these materials gives rise to the controllability of the ionization energies over a wide range.