Dephasing and light-induced spectral diffusion in CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals

Summary form only given. The potential use of quantum dots as artificial atoms in applications such as quantum information processing requires a clear understanding of dephasing mechanisms in these nanostructures. In this paper, we report experimental studies on dephasing in CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals using high-resolution spectral hole burning. The nonlinear optical technique not only eliminates effects of inhomogeneous broadening but also overcomes the problem of insufficient spectral resolution encountered in photoluminescence studies of single nanocrystals. In addition, the nonlinear measurement can be carried out at excitation levels much lower and at time scales much shorter than those used in single dot PL studies.