Phonon Effects on Population Inversion in Quantum Dots: Resonant, Detuned and Frequency-swept Excitations

TL;DR

This paper investigates how acoustic phonons affect various light-induced excitations in quantum dots, revealing non-monotonic damping effects on population inversion across resonant, detuned, and frequency-swept excitations.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of phonon effects on different excitation schemes in quantum dots, highlighting the non-monotonic dependence on pulse area.

Findings

Rabi oscillations are damped by phonons during resonant excitation.

Population inversion via adiabatic rapid passage is also damped by phonons.

Phonon influence varies non-monotonically with pulse area in all scenarios.

Abstract

The effect of acoustic phonons on different light-induced excitations of a semiconductor quantum dot is investigated. Resonant excitation of the quantum dot leads to Rabi oscillations, which are damped due to the phonon interaction. When the excitation frequency is detuned, an occupation can only occur due to phonon absorption or emission processes. For frequency-swept excitations a population inversion is achieved through adiabatic rapid passage, but the inversion is also damped by phonons. For all three scenarios the influence of the phonons depends non-monotonically on the pulse area.