Quantum Optics with Quantum Dots

Semiconductor quantum dots have emerged as promising candidates for studying quantum optical phenomena. Observation of photon antibunching and spontaneous emission limited coherence decay rates have demonstrated that quantum dots behave as artificial atoms. Cavity-quantum electrodynamics (QED) phenomena can be investigated using a single quantum dot embedded inside a photonic nanostructure, where both carriers and photons are confined within sub-micron length scales in all three dimensions. Since quantum dot location inside the cavity is fixed by the growth, this system is free of the stringent trapping requirements that limit its atomic counterpart. Possibility of fabricating photonic nanostructures with ultra-small optical-mode volumes and long photon lifetimes enhances the prospects for applications in quantum information processing.