arXiv · 2403.13622
Nonlocality of the energy density of a spontaneously emitted single-photon from a Hydrogen atom
Abstract
We analyze through the expectation value of the energy density the spatial nonlocality of single photons emitted by the spontaneous decay of a Hydrogen atom. By using a minimal coupling between the quantized electromagnetic field and the atom, we compute the state of the photon under the assumption that only a single-photon is produced. The calculations are thus performed in the subspace of single-photon states which is essentially equivalent to the rotating wave approximation. We obtain a characterization of the spatial decay of the energy density. We compute the asymptotic limit of large distances from the atom at each given time, and find an algebraic behavior of $1/r^6$. This result confirms that the energy density of single-photon states is nonlocal and the algebraic decay is far from the maximal quasiexponential localization predicted by the theory.
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Maxime Federico, Hans-Rudolf Jauslin. 2024-03-20. Nonlocality of the energy density of a spontaneously emitted single-photon from a Hydrogen atom. https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8121/ad97fa
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