Theory of phonon-modified quantum dot photoluminescence intensity in structured photonic reservoirs

TL;DR

This paper develops a polaron master equation model to analyze how phonon interactions modify quantum dot photoluminescence in structured photonic environments, revealing unique spectral features due to phonon-photon interplay.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical framework for understanding phonon effects on quantum dot emission in structured reservoirs, highlighting conditions where Fermi's golden rule breaks down.

Findings

Photoluminescence spectra show signatures of phonon-photon interactions.

Breakdown of Fermi's golden rule occurs under certain structured environments.

Distinct spectral features emerge from phonon-modified emission processes.

Abstract

The spontaneous emission rate of a quantum dot coupled to a structured photonic reservoir is determined by the frequency dependence of its local density of photon states. Through phonon-dressing, a breakdown of Fermi's golden rule can occur for certain photonic structures whose photon decay time become comparable to the longitudinal acoustic phonon decay times. We present a polaron master equation model to calculate the photoluminescence intensity from a coherently excited quantum dot coupled to a structured photonic reservoir. We consider examples of a semiconductor microcavity and a coupled cavity waveguide and show clear photoluminescence intensity spectral features that contain unique signatures of the interplay between phonon and photon bath coupling.