Coherence of an electron spin in quantum dots generated by a resonant optical pulse with elliptic polarization

Abstract

We have experimentally observed the spin polarization process of single electrons in InP/InGaP quantum dots by time-resolved Kerr rotation measurements. It is found that the inversion of the spin polarization direction occurs with the variation of the intensity of the optical pulse. The spin coherence lifetime abruptly changes on the occurrence of the inversion. We have reproduced the inversion in numerical simulations using the density operator of the electron-trion four-level system, assuming a small deviation of the optical pulse from circular polarization. The change of the spin lifetime is attributed to the qualitative change of the four-level system in the electric polarization state. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.