= Polarization-selective spontaneous emission between conducting plates
Wide perfectly conducting plates with $d\ll c/\omega_0$ admit only a normal-electric-field <transverse electromagnetic mode> at the transition frequency. The <electric-dipole interaction> therefore couples to the normal component of the atomic transition dipole. A normal dipole has enhanced available mode density; an in-plane dipole has no allowed electric-dipole radiation channel below the higher-mode cutoffs. The conclusion assumes negligible changes to the atom and negligible absorption, leakage and symmetry-breaking mixing.
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