Spontaneous emission by two atoms in a planar microcavity

Spontaneous emission by two atoms in a planar microcavity with partial transmission is analyzed under the dipole approximation and the rotating wave approximation. The strength of mutual interaction between the two atoms during the emission process is calculated as a function of the separation of the two atoms. Under a perturbation approximation, the strength is shown to be factorized into the initial expected correlation of the two dipoles and another factor that depends on the atom–cavity configuration. The latter factor describing the degree of mutual interaction between the two atoms is numerically shown to decrease substantially as the separation of the atoms exceeds the effective mode radius of the planar cavity.