Counting statistics and super-Poissonian noise in a quantum dot

Abstract

We present time-resolved measurements of electron transport through a quantum dot. The measurements were performed using a nearby quantum point contact as a charge detector. The rates for tunneling through the two barriers connecting the dot to source and drain contacts could be determined individually. In the high bias regime, the method was used to probe excited states of the dot. Furthermore, we have detected bunching of electrons, leading to super-Poissonian noise. We have used the framework of the full counting statistics (FCS) to model the experimental data. The existence of super-Poissonian noise suggests a long relaxation time for the involved excited state, which could be related to the spin relaxation time.