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Charges and spins confined in quantum dots and quantum dot molecules are of great interest for new optoelectronic device applications. The strong confinement in quantum dot structures leads to unique interactions among electrons and holes. A detailed understanding of the magnitude and dynamics of these charge-carrier interactions will be essential to the development of future devices. We present experimental evidence of holes trapped in metastable higher-energy states of InAs/AlGaAs/InAs quantum dot molecules. We present a model for the kinetic pathways that lead to this dynamic hole trapping and analyze the consequences of dynamic hole trapping for carrier relaxation and optical emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biexciton absorption spectrum of a pair of InAs/GaAs quantum dots is being studied by photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy. An absorption resonance with the characteristics of an instantaneous two-photon process reveals a coherent interdot two-photon transition. Pauli-selective tunneling is being used to demonstrate the transduction of the two-photon coherence into a nonlocal spin singlet state. The two-photon transition can be tuned spectrally by electric field, enabling amplification of its transition strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the suppression of nuclear-spin fluctuations in an InAs quantum dot and measure the timescales of the spin narrowing effect. By initializing for tens of milliseconds with two continuous wave diode lasers, fluctuations of the nuclear spins are suppressed via the hole-assisted dynamic nuclear polarization feedback mechanism. The fluctuation narrowed state persists in the dark (absent light illumination) for well over 1 s even in the presence of a varying electron charge and spin polarization. Enhancement of the electron spin coherence time (T2*) is directly measured using coherent dark state spectroscopy. By separating the calming of the nuclear spins in time from the spin qubit operations, this method is much simpler than the spin echo coherence recovery or dynamic decoupling schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunable exciton relaxation rates are observed in individual vertically coupled semiconductor quantum dots (CQDs). An applied electric field is used to tune the energy difference between the spatially direct (SD) and indirect (SI) excitons in InAs CQDs. The intensity and lifetime of the SI exciton is found to vary as a result of wave-function distribution, carrier tunneling, and phonon-mediated relaxation effects. This includes a modulation of the phonon relaxation rate between the SI and SD excitons, a consequence of momentum space restrictions resulting from the structure factor of the CQD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical spin rotations and cycling transitions for measurement are normally incompatible in quantum dots, presenting a fundamental problem for quantum information applications. Here we show that for a hole spin this problem can be addressed using a trion with one hole in an excited orbital, where strong spin-orbit interaction tilts the spin. Then, a particular trion triplet forms a double Λ system, even in a Faraday magnetic field, which we use to demonstrate fast hole spin initialization and coherent population trapping. The lowest trion transitions still strongly preserve spin, thus combining fast optical spin control with cycling transitions for spin readout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the extension of coherence between all four two-electron spin ground states of an InAs quantum dot molecule (QDM) via nonlocal suppression of nuclear spin fluctuations in two vertically stacked quantum dots (QDs), while optically addressing only the top QD transitions. Long coherence times are revealed through dark-state spectroscopy as resulting from nuclear spin locking mediated by the exchange interaction between the QDs. Line shape analysis provides the first measurement of the quieting of the Overhauser field distribution correlating with reduced nuclear spin fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spins confined in quantum dots are a leading candidate for solid-state quantum bits that can be coherently controlled by optical pulses. There are, however, many challenges to developing a scalable multibit information processing device based on spins in quantum dots, including the natural inhomogeneous distribution of quantum dot energy levels, the difficulty of creating all-optical spin manipulation protocols compatible with nondestructive readout, and the substantial electron-nuclear hyperfine interaction-induced decoherence. Here, we present a scalable qubit design and device architecture based on the spin states of single holes confined in a quantum dot molecule. The quantum dot molecule qubit enables a new strategy for optical coherent control with dramatically enhanced wavelength tunability. The use of hole spins allows the suppression of decoherence via hyperfine interactions and enables coherent spin rotations using Raman transitions mediated by a hole-spin-mixed optically excited state. Because the spin mixing is present only in the optically excited state, dephasing and decoherence are strongly suppressed in the ground states that define the qubits and nondestructive readout is possible. We present the qubit and device designs and analyze the wavelength tunability and fidelity of gate operations that can be implemented using this strategy. We then present experimental and theoretical progress toward implementing this design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin of an electron in a self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot molecule is optically prepared and measured through the trion triplet states. A longitudinal magnetic field is used to tune two of the trion states into resonance, forming a superposition state through asymmetric spin exchange. As a result, spin-flip Raman transitions can be used for optical spin initialization, while separate trion states enable cycling transitions for nondestructive measurement. With two-laser transmission spectroscopy we demonstrate both operations simultaneously, something not previously accomplished in a single quantum dot.