# Single photons emitted by nano-crystals optically trapped in a deep parabolic mirror

## TL;DR

This study demonstrates the optical trapping and emission properties of nano-crystals emitting single photons, using a deep parabolic mirror to analyze emission patterns and infer emitter dynamics, advancing quantum emitter manipulation.

## Contribution

It introduces a method for trapping and analyzing nano-crystal emitters with a deep parabolic mirror, enabling full emission pattern imaging and insights into emitter cluster dynamics.

## Key findings

- Successful optical trapping of rod-shaped quantum emitters.
- Full 4π emission pattern imaging of nano-emitters.
- Single-photon emission from clusters of multiple emitters.

## Abstract

We investigate the emission of single photons from CdSe/CdS dot-in-rods which are optically trapped in the focus of a deep parabolic mirror. Thanks to this mirror, we are able to image almost the full 4$\pi$ emission pattern of nanometer-sized elementary dipoles and verify the alignment of the rods within the optical trap. From the motional dynamics of the emitters in the trap we infer that the single-photon emission occurs from clusters comprising several emitters. We demonstrate the optical trapping of rod-shaped quantum emitters in a configuration suitable for efficiently coupling an ensemble of linear dipoles with the electromagnetic field in free space.