Impact of cavity on interatomic Coulombic decay

Area of Science:

• Quantum Optics
• Atomic Physics
• Chemical Physics

Background:

• Interatomic Coulombic decay (ICD) is an efficient electronic decay process where an excited atom transfers energy to a neighbor, causing ionization.
• In quantum light environments, ensembles of excited atoms can form polaritonic states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of quantum light on the interatomic Coulombic decay (ICD) process.
• To explore how polaritonic states influence ICD dynamics compared to classical ICD.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical investigation of ICD in systems interacting with quantum light.
• Analysis of the dependence of ICD rates on atomic distribution and orientation within polaritonic states.

Main Results:

• Quantum light strongly alters the ICD process compared to classical ICD.
• The ICD rate is sensitive to the atomic distribution and orientation of the ensemble forming polaritons.
• Polaritons formed via optical cavities allow for controlled emergence, suppression, and efficiency of ICD.

Conclusions:

• Quantum light, particularly polaritons formed in cavities, provides a novel mechanism to control interatomic Coulombic decay.
• This control over ICD offers new possibilities for manipulating electronic decay processes in atomic ensembles.