Polarization dependent spontaneous-emission rate of single quantum dots in photonic crystal membranes

TL;DR

This study measures how the spontaneous emission rate of single quantum dots in photonic crystal membranes varies with polarization, revealing significant anisotropy due to local density of optical states differences.

Contribution

It demonstrates polarization-dependent emission rate variation in quantum dots within photonic crystals, highlighting the impact of local density of states on emission anisotropy.

Findings

Maximum anisotropy factor of 6 observed between decay rates of exciton states

Large anisotropy attributed to different projected local density of optical states

Polarization significantly influences spontaneous emission in photonic crystal environments

Abstract

We have measured the variation of the spontaneous emission rate with polarization for self-assembled single quantum dots in two-dimensional photonic crystal membranes. We observe a maximum anisotropy factor of 6 between the decay rates of the two bright exciton states. This large anisotropy is attributed to the substantially different projected local density of optical states for differently oriented dipoles in the photonic crystal.