Resolved Sideband Emission of InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots Strained by Surface Acoustic Waves

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how surface acoustic waves can modulate InAs/GaAs quantum dots, revealing phonon sidebands and enabling optical frequency conversion, which could advance quantum control and nanomechanical cooling techniques.

Contribution

The paper experimentally shows phonon sidebands in QD fluorescence and demonstrates optical frequency conversion using surface acoustic wave modulation.

Findings

Resolved phonon sidebands in QD fluorescence spectrum.

Demonstrated optical frequency conversion via dynamic modulation.

Potential application in laser sideband cooling of nanomechanical resonators.

Abstract

The dynamic response of InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) to strain is studied experimentally by periodically modulating the QDs with a surface acoustic wave and measuring the QD fluorescence with photoluminescence and resonant spectroscopy. When the acoustic frequency is larger than the QD linewidth, we resolve phonon sidebands in the QD fluorescence spectrum. Using a resonant pump laser, we have demonstrated optical frequency conversion via the dynamically modulated QD, which is the physical mechanism underlying laser sideband cooling a nanomechanical resonator by means of an embedded QD.