Cavity QED using quantum dots

Summary form only given. Excitons in self-assembled quantum dots (QD) constitute an ideal two-level system for cavity-QED applications. Unlike atoms, quantum dots do not exhibit random motion; the QD excitons are strongly trapped by the surrounding high bang-gap energy semiconductor. The advanced semiconductor processing techniques allow for reshaping of the semiconductor material in which the QDs are embedded, so that the resulting structure supports high-Q modes with mode volumes approaching the fundamental limit determined by the wavelength of the generated photon. By varying the sample temperature, we tune a single QD exciton transition in and out of resonance with a microcavity mode. The resonant enhancement of the recombination rate that we observe in photon correlation measurements provide a strong evidence for the Purcell effect.