We use temporally resolved intensity cross-correlation measurements to identify the biexciton-exciton radiative cascades in a negatively charged QD. The polarization sensitive correlation measurements show unambiguously that the excited two electron
triplet states relax non-radiatively to their singlet ground state via a spin non conserving flip-flop with the ground state heavy hole. We explain this mechanism in terms of resonant coupling between the confined electron states and an LO phonon. This resonant interaction together with the electron-hole exchange interaction provides an efficient mechanism for this, otherwise spin-blockaded, electronic relaxation.
We present a comprehensive study of the optical transitions and selection rules of variably charged single self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots. We apply high resolution polarization sensitive photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy to the same qu
antum dot for three different charge states: neutral and negatively or positively charged by one additional electron or hole. From the detailed analysis of the excitation spectra, a full understanding of the single-carrier energy levels and the interactions between carriers in these levels is extracted for the first time.
We present experimental and theoretical study of single semiconductor quantum dots excited by two non-degenerate, resonantly tuned variably polarized lasers. The first laser is tuned to excitonic resonances. Depending on its polarization it photogene
rates a coherent single exciton state. The second laser is tuned to biexciton resonances. By scanning the energy of the second laser for various polarizations of the two lasers, while monitoring the emission from the biexciton and exciton spectral lines, we map the biexciton photoluminescence excitation spectra. The resonances rich spectra of the second photon absorption are analyzed and fully understood in terms of a many carrier theoretical model which takes into account the direct and exchange Coulomb interactions between the quantum confined carriers.
We demonstrate a one to one correspondence between the polarization state of a light pulse tuned to neutral exciton resonances of single semiconductor quantum dots and the spin state of the exciton that it photogenerates. This is accomplished using t
wo variably polarized and independently tuned picosecond laser pulses. The first writes the spin state of the resonantly excited exciton. The second is tuned to biexcitonic resonances, and its absorption is used to read the exciton spin state. The absorption of the second pulse depends on its polarization relative to the exciton spin direction. Changes in the exciton spin result in corresponding changes in the intensity of the photoluminescence from the biexciton lines which we monitor, obtaining thus a one to one mapping between any point on the Poincare sphere of the light polarization to a point on the Bloch sphere of the exciton spin.
We measured the polarization memory of excitonic and biexcitonic optical transitions from single quantum dots at either positive, negative or neutral charge states. Positive, negative and no circular or linear polarization memory was observed for var
ious spectral lines, under the same quasi-resonant excitation below the wetting layer band-gap. We developed a model which explains both qualitatively and quantitatively the experimentally measured polarization spectrum for all these optical transitions. We consider quite generally the loss of spin orientation of the photogenerated electron-hole pair during their relaxation towards the many-carrier ground states. Our analysis unambiguously demonstrates that while electrons maintain their initial spin polarization to a large degree, holes completely dephase.
