Vahala Kerry J
California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 128-95, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
Nature. 2003 Aug 14;424(6950):839-46. doi: 10.1038/nature01939.
Optical microcavities confine light to small volumes by resonant recirculation. Devices based on optical microcavities are already indispensable for a wide range of applications and studies. For example, microcavities made of active III-V semiconductor materials control laser emission spectra to enable long-distance transmission of data over optical fibres; they also ensure narrow spot-size laser read/write beams in CD and DVD players. In quantum optical devices, microcavities can coax atoms or quantum dots to emit spontaneous photons in a desired direction or can provide an environment where dissipative mechanisms such as spontaneous emission are overcome so that quantum entanglement of radiation and matter is possible. Applications of these remarkable devices are as diverse as their geometrical and resonant properties.
光学微腔通过共振再循环将光限制在小体积内。基于光学微腔的器件在广泛的应用和研究中已经不可或缺。例如，由有源III-V族半导体材料制成的微腔控制激光发射光谱，以实现数据在光纤上的长距离传输；它们还确保CD和DVD播放器中激光读写光束的光斑尺寸很窄。在量子光学器件中，微腔可以 coax 原子或量子点在期望的方向上发射自发光子，或者可以提供一个克服诸如自发发射等耗散机制的环境，从而使辐射与物质的量子纠缠成为可能。这些卓越器件的应用与其几何和共振特性一样多种多样。
原文中“coax”未准确翻译，这里用“ coax”表示“巧妙地诱导、哄诱”之意。
