Quantum Electrodynamics of Atoms Between Parallel Mirrors

Parts of the energy of any system containing charged particles stem from its coupling with the electromagnetic field; they change near conducting surfaces (mirrors), because these alter the normal modes of the field relative to unbounded space. Spontaneous decays are also affected. Such effects near a single plane mirror are reasonably familiar; between parallel mirrors (separation L) they are now becoming measurable, mainly in Rydberg states. They are interesting also to theory, partly because they raise questions about the role of classical and other interpretations in quantum physics.