Mapping the local density of optical states of a photonic crystal with single quantum dots

TL;DR

This paper uses single quantum dots to map and quantify the local optical density of states in photonic crystal membranes, revealing high inhibition factors and aligning experimental results with theoretical calculations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method employing quantum dots as probes to accurately measure local optical density of states in photonic crystals.

Findings

Inhibition factors up to 55 observed

Quantitative agreement with theoretical LDOS calculations

Separation of non-radiative and spin-flip contributions

Abstract

We use single self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots as internal probes to map the local density of optical states of photonic crystal membranes. The employed technique separates contributions from non-radiative recombination and spin-flip processes by properly accounting for the role of the exciton fine structure. We observe inhibition factors as high as 55 and compare our results to local density of optical states calculations available from the literature, thereby establishing a quantitative understanding of photon emission in photonic crystal membranes.