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12 - Dynamics and optical control of an individual Mn spin in a quantum dot

from Part IV - Quantum dot nano-laboratory: magnetic ions and nuclear spins in a dot

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2012

By
L. Besombes ,
C. Le Gall ,
H. Boukari  and
H. Mariette
Edited by
Alexander Tartakovskii
L. Besombes
Affiliation:
CNRS & Université Joseph Fourier, France
C. Le Gall
Affiliation:
CNRS & Université Joseph Fourier, France
H. Boukari
Affiliation:
CNRS & Université Joseph Fourier, France
H. Mariette
Affiliation:
CNRS & Université Joseph Fourier, France
Alexander Tartakovskii
Affiliation:
University of Sheffield
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Summary

We show in this review that the spin state of a single magnetic atom embedded in an individual semiconductor quantum dot can be optically probed. A high degree of spin polarization can be achieved for an individual Mn atom using quasi-resonant or fully resonant optical excitation of the quantum dot at zero magnetic field. Under quasi-resonant excitation, optically created spin-polarized carriers generate an energy splitting of the Mn spin and enable magnetic moment orientation controlled by the photon helicity and energy. Monitoring the time dependence of the intensity of the fluorescence during a resonant optical pumping process allows us to directly probe the dynamics of the initialization of the Mn spin. The dynamics and the magnetic field dependence of the optical-pumping mechanism shows that the spin lifetime of an isolated Mn atom at zero magnetic field is controlled by a magnetic anisotropy induced by the built-in strain in the quantum dots. The Mn spin state prepared by optical pumping is fully conserved for a few microseconds. These experiments open the way to full optical control of the spin state of an individual magnetic atom in a solid state environment.

Introduction

The ability to control spins in semiconductor nanostructures is an important issue for spintronics and quantum information processing. Single-spin detection and control is a key but very challenging step for any spin-based solid-state quantum computing device. In the past few years, efficient optical techniques have been developed to control the spin of individual carriers [34] or ensemble of nuclei [22] in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs).

Type
Chapter
Information
Quantum Dots
Optics, Electron Transport and Future Applications
 , pp. 205 - 220
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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References

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