The Interaction of Light with Charged Quantum Dots and Applications to Entanglement Generation

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Abstract

The interaction of light with matter is an area of research within the field of quantum mechanics that holds much promise for the development of novel quantum technologies and exhibits interesting foundational aspects of physics. It is from this context that this thesis studies the interaction of light with charged quantum dots. Charged quantum dots are solid state devices that display atomic like emission properties and they can simultaneously by utilised as carriers of quantum information. Building on existing work a theoretical description of the
properties of light scattered by these systems is developed. This is important for characterising the potential use of these systems in technological applications. It is shown that charged quantum dots exhibit novel scattering properties, this generalises existing results in the regimes of resonant scattering. Furthermore, the properties of these systems are used to derive a protocol for generating entangled states of light, a fundamental requirement for the field of quantum
computing. An error analysis of this protocol identifies ideal operating regimes and fundamental limitations associated with realistic system conditions. Finally, experimental investigations are conducted. These are supported by the theoretical work of this thesis and additionally demonstrate that these systems generate non trivial quantum states of light. Additionally, deeper insight into the difficulties faced when attempting to optically control these systems is gained.
Revealing an interplay between the effects of the quantum dot nuclear spin environment and the effects of optical driving.
Date of Award1 Oct 2024
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • University of Bristol
SupervisorRuth Oulton (Supervisor) & John G Rarity (Supervisor)

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