Time-resolved pump-probe signals of a continuously driven quantum dot affected by phonons

Abstract

The interaction of a light field with a quantum-mechanical system can be studied in an optically controlled semiconductor quantum dot. When driven by a continuous light field switched on instantaneously, the quantum dot occupation performs Rabi oscillations. Unlike an atomic system, the quantum dot is coupled to phonons, which leads to a damping of the Rabi oscillations. Here we model the time-resolved probe spectra to monitor these dynamics and study the influence of phonons on the spectra. The spectra consist of up to three peaks, similar to the Mollow-triplet known from quantum optics. We develop analytical equations within a rate equation model and show that they agree excellently with a numerical solution using a well established correlation expansion approach.