Photonics of Quantum-dot Nanomaterials and Devices

Book excerpt: 1. Introduction to photonic quantum dot nanomaterials and devices. 1.1. Physical properties of quantum dots. 1.2. Active semiconductor gain media. 1.3. Quantum dot lasers. 1.4. Laser cavities -- 2. Theory of quantum dot light-matter dynamics. 2.1. Rate equations. 2.2. Maxwell-Bloch equations. 2.3. Quantum luminescence equations. 2.4. Quantum theoretical description -- 3. Light meets matter I: microscopic carrier effect. 3.1. Dynamics in the active charge carrier plasma. 3.2. Dynamic level hole burning. 3.3. Ultrashort nonlinear gain and index dynamics. 3.4. Conclusion -- 4. Light meets matter II: mesoscopic space-time dynamics. 4.1. Introduction: transverse and longitudinal mode dynamics. 4.2. Influence of the transverse degree of freedom and nano-structuring on nearfield dynamics and spectra. 4.3. Longitudinal modes. 4.4. Coupled space-time dynamics. 4.5. Conclusion -- 5. Performance and characterisation: properties on large time and length scales. 5.1. Introduction. 5.2. Spatial and spectral beam quality. 5.3. Dynamic amplitude phase coupling. 5.4. Conclusion -- 6. Nonlinear pulse propagation in semiconductor quantum dot lasers. 6.1. Dynamic shaping of short optical pulses. 6.2. Nonlinear femtosecond dynamics. 6.3. Conclusion -- 7. High-speed dynamics. 7.1. Mode-locking in multi-section quantum dot lasers. 7.2. Dependence of pulse duration on injection current, bias voltage and device geometry. 7.3. Radio frequency spectra of the emitted light. 7.4. Short-pulse optimisation. 7.5. Conclusion -- 8. Quantum dot random lasers. 8.1. Spatially inhomogeneous semiconductor quantum dot ensembles. 8.2. Coherence properties. 8.3. Random lasing in semiconductor quantum dot ensembles. 8.4. Conclusion -- 9. Coherence properties of quantum dot micro-cavity lasers. 9.1. Introduction. 9.2. Radial signal propagation and coherence trapping. 9.3. Influence of disorder. 9.4. Conclusions