Slow-light propagation using mode locking of spin precession in quantum dots

Abstract

We propose using mode locking to enable coherent nonlinear optical effects in inhomogenously broadened spin ensembles. We carry out detailed calculations for quantum dot systems in which increased spin coherence via mode locking has been recently observed [A. Greilich et al., Science 313, 341 (2006); 317, 1896 (2007)]. We show how, in the presence of spin locking, a strong pulse-matching effect occurs, providing a powerful tool for high-bandwidth linear optical processing. We then go on to study ``slow light'' in this system and show that high-bandwidth pulses can be controllably delayed by a time comparable to the pulse width.