Low-Field Optical Polarization in Type-II Quantum Dots via Nuclear-Driven Dark State Mixing
Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) offer a rich landscape for spin control and quantum light emission. While most studies have focused on type-I band alignment, the potential of type-II systems remains underexplored. Here, we report low-field optical polarization in type-II In(Ga)As/GaAsSb QDs, enabled by hyperfine-induced mixing between bright and dark excitons via level anticrossing under magnetic fields as low as 0.17 T. The weak-field regime arises from the suppressed wave function overlap, yielding a reduced electron-hole exchange interaction. A theoretical model based on the spin Hamiltonian and the spin-split state populations accurately captures the observed mirror-symmetric luminescence helicity, reproducing the experimental polarization response. Additionally, polarization recovery measurements confirm the role of nuclear spin interactions in mediating the in-plane electron spin precession. Our work demonstrates an alternative route for light polarization control using weak magnetic fields and nonresonant linear excitation, establishing type-II QDs as promising platforms for compact sources of circularly polarized light.
Authors
- Victor Lopez‐Richard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7897-3860)
- Marcio Daldin Teodoro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3557-5555)
- Morgan E. Ware (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9998-4139)
- Gabriel Jacobsen
- Vinicius Antonio de Oliveira
- G. E. Marques
- Baolai Liang
- Yuriy I. Mazur
- Gregory J. Salamo
Institutions
- California NanoSystems Institute (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos (BR)
- Center for NanoScience (DE)
- University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Letters
- Published
- 2025-12-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c05163
- Primary Topic
- Quantum and electron transport phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00