Quantum coherence phenomena in semiconductor quantum dots: quantum interference, decoherence and Rabi oscillation

We performed extensive studies on quantum decoherence processes of excitons trapped in the various excited states of SAQDs. Energy level structure and dephasing times of excited states were first determined by conducting photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy and wave-packet interferometry on a large number of individual SAQDs. This large statistical basis allows us to extract the correlation between the energy level structure and dephasing times. The major decoherence mechanisms and their active regime were identified from this correlation. A significant suppression of decoherence was also observed in some of the energetically isolated excited states, providing an experimental evidence for the theoretical prediction, known as “phonon bottleneck effect”. Furthermore, we observed the direct experimental evidence of Rabi oscillation in these excited states with long decoherence times. In addition, a new type of quantum interference (QI) phenomenon was discovered in the wave-packet interferometry experiments performed in the strong excitation regime where the non-linear effects of Rabi oscillation become important. Detailed theoretical investigations attribute this phenomenon to the coherent dynamics resulting from the interplay of Rabi oscillation and QI.