  Using time-resolved photoluminescence measurements, the recombination rate in
an In$_{0.18}$Ga$_{0.82}$N/GaN quantum well (QW) is shown to be greatly
enhanced when spontaneous emission is resonantly coupled to a silver surface
plasmon. The rate of enhanced spontaneous emission into the surface plasmon was
as much as 92 times faster than normal QW spontaneous emission. A calculation,
based on Fermi's golden rule, reveals the enhancement is very sensitive to
silver thickness and indicates even greater enhancements are possible for QWs
placed closer to the surface metal coating.
