Controllable characteristics of spontaneous emission of the polarized atoms in a dielectric slab embedded in dielectric or metallic medium

The spontaneous emission (SE) behavior of the polarized atoms in a dielectric thin slab embedded in dielectric or metallic medium is analyzed. It is found that the SE rate of the polarized atoms in the vicinity of interface between the slab and surrounding medium can be considerably varied when changing the polarized direction of atoms. A switching operation of atomic SE between the inhibition and enhancement processes of the SE can be realized. In a dielectric thin slab embedded in metallic medium, the SE rate of the atoms near the dielectric–metal interface is enhanced greatly owing to the effect of surface-plasmon polaritons. Our findings imply that the tuning of the polarized orientation of atoms in the dielectric thin slab can effectively control the atomic SE processes.