Open AccessShort-time emission of higher-angular-momentum photons by atomic transitions
Author(s) -
Meng Lok Lei,
Vincent Debierre
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of physics. b, atomic molecular and optical physics/journal of physics. b, atomic, molecular and optical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1361-6455
pISSN - 0953-4075
DOI - 10.1088/1361-6455/abce95
Subject(s) - physics , angular momentum , photon , atomic physics , electron , dipole , spontaneous emission , momentum (technical analysis) , angular momentum coupling , total angular momentum quantum number , electric field , hydrogen like atom , electric dipole transition , ion , angular momentum of light , magnetic dipole , quantum electrodynamics , quantum mechanics , laser , finance , economics
The short-time regime of spontaneous light emission by few-electron ions is examined in detail, with a specific emphasis on the angular momentum of the emitted light. It is found that, in general, photons carrying a higher angular momentum are emitted with important probabilities, at short times, in transitions that are not of the electric dipole type. The probability of emission of such photons is found to be parametrically non-negligible in this time regime, and even numerically dominant for some cases. It is also found that, in all time regimes, the emission of electric 2 n +1 -pole fields is typically numerically dominant over the emission of magnetic 2 n -pole fields by many orders of magnitude. These results refine and deepen our understanding of the emission of angular momentum-carrying light by simple atomic systems.