Phonon-assisted dark exciton preparation in a quantum dot

Lüker S., Kuhn T., Reiter D.

Abstract

In semiconductor quantum dots, coupling to the environment, i.e., to phonons, plays a crucial role for optical state preparation. We analyze the phonon impact on two methods for direct optical preparation of the dark exciton, which is enabled by a tilted magnetic field: excitation with a chirped laser pulse and excitation with a detuned pulse. Our study reveals that for both methods, phonons either do not impede the proposed mechanism or they are made useful by widening the parameter range where dark state preparation is possible due to phonon-assisted dark exciton preparation. In view of the positive impact of phonons on optical preparation, the use of dark excitons in quantum dots becomes even more attractive.