Local Field effects on the radiative lifetime of emitters in surrounding media: virtual- or real-cavity model?

TL;DR

This paper compares the virtual- and real-cavity models to explain how local field effects influence the radiative lifetime of emitters in various media, providing criteria for model applicability based on experimental analysis.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive interpretation of experimental data and establishes criteria to determine whether the virtual- or real-cavity model is appropriate for specific scenarios.

Findings

Consistent interpretation of experimental results

Criteria for selecting the appropriate cavity model

Analysis of assumptions underlying both models

Abstract

For emitters embedded in media of various refractive indices, different macroscopic or microscopic theoretical models predict different dependencies of the spontaneous emission lifetime on refractive index. Among those models are the two most promising models: the virtual-cavity model and the real-cavity model. It is a priori not clear which model is more relevant for a given situation. By close analysis of the available experimental results and examining the assumptions underlying the two models, we reach a consistent interpretation of the experimental results and give the criteria which model should apply for a given situation.