Optical manipulation of a single Mn spin in a CdTe-based quantum dot

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates optical control and storage of a single Mn spin in a CdTe quantum dot system, showing potential for quantum information applications with spin manipulation times up to hundreds of microseconds.

Contribution

It introduces a method for optically writing and reading Mn spin states in coupled quantum dots, with enhanced storage times under magnetic fields, supported by rate equation modeling.

Findings

Optical writing of Mn spin states achieved.

Spin orientation times range from 20 ns to 100 ns.

Storage time extended to hundreds of microseconds with magnetic field.

Abstract

A system of two coupled CdTe quantum dots, one of them containing a single Mn ion, was studied in continuous wave and modulated photoluminescence, photoluminescence excitation, and photon correlation experiments. Optical writing of information in the spin state of the Mn ion has been demonstrated, using orientation of the Mn spin by spin-polarized carriers transferred from the neighbor quantum dot. Mn spin orientation time values from 20 ns to 100 ns were measured, depending on the excitation power. Storage time of the information in the Mn spin was found to be enhanced by application of a static magnetic field of 1 T, reaching hundreds of microseconds in the dark. Simple rate equation models were found to describe correctly static and dynamical properties of the system.