Quantum Dots: Quantum Optical Signature of Plasmonically Coupled Nanocrystal Quantum Dots (Small 38/2015)

Artificial atoms, such as quantum dots, usually emit independently when they are separated by more than 10 nm. H. Htoon and co-workers show on page 5028 that the strongly enhanced electromagnetic field of a pair of gold nano-antenna (i.e., a plasmonic field) can induce coupling among quantum dots, causing them to emit as a single quantum emitter. The coupled quantum dots can be considered a ‘quantum dot molecule’, with potential application as the fundamental units of quantum-controlled devices for switching and routing single photons that carry bits of quantum information.