We analyze the light scattered by a single InAs quantum dot interacting with a resonant continuous-wave laser. High resolution spectra reveal clear distinctions between coherent and incoherent scattering, with the laser intensity spanning over four o
rders of magnitude. We find that the fraction of coherently scattered photons can approach unity under sufficiently weak or detuned excitation, ruling out pure dephasing as a relevant decoherence mechanism. We show how spectral diffusion shapes spectra, correlation functions, and phase-coherence, concealing the ideal radiatively-broadened two-level system described by Mollow.
We show that resonance fluorescence, i.e. the resonant emission of a coherently driven two-level system, can be realized with a semiconductor quantum dot. The dot is embedded in a planar optical micro-cavity and excited in a wave-guide mode so as to
discriminate its emission from residual laser scattering. The transition from the weak to the strong excitation regime is characterized by the emergence of oscillations in the first-order correlation function of the fluorescence, g(t), as measured by interferometry. The measurements correspond to a Mollow triplet with a Rabi splitting of up to 13.3 micro eV. Second-order-correlation measurements further confirm non-classical light emission.
