Quantum vacuum radiation spectra from a semiconductor microcavity with a time-modulated vacuum Rabi frequency.

We develop a general theory of the quantum vacuum radiation generated by an arbitrary time modulation of the vacuum Rabi frequency of an intersubband transition in a doped quantum well system embedded in a planar microcavity. Both nonradiative and radiative losses are included within an input-output quantum Langevin framework. The intensity and the spectral signatures of the extra-cavity emission are characterized versus the modulation properties. For realistic parameters, the photon pair emission is predicted to largely exceed the blackbody radiation in the mid and far infrared. For strong and resonant modulation a parametric oscillation regime is achievable.