Surface acoustic wave modulation of a coherently driven quantum dot in a pillar microcavity

Abstract

We report the efficient coherent photon scattering from a semiconductor quantum dot embedded in a pillar microcavity. We show that a surface acoustic wave can periodically modulate the energy levels of the quantum dot but has a negligible effect on the cavity mode. The scattered narrow-band laser is converted into a pulsed single-photon stream, displaying an anti-bunching dip characteristic of single-photon emission. Multiple phonon sidebands are resolved in the emission spectrum, due to the absorption and emission of vibrational quanta in each scattering event.