This is the first book to specifically focus on semiconductor nanocrystals, and address their synthesis and assembly, optical properties and spectroscopy, and potential areas of nanocrystal-based devices. The enormous potential of nanoscience to impact on industrial output is now clear. Over the next two decades, much of the science will transfer into new products and processes. One emerging area where this challenge will be very successfully met is the field of semiconductor nanocrystals. Also known as colloidal quantum dots, their unique properties have attracted much attention in the last twenty years.

This book discusses the basic physics of semiconductor macroatoms at the nanoscale as well as their potential application as building blocks for the realization of new-generation quantum devices.It provides a review on state-of-the art fabrication and characterization of semiconductor quantum dots aimed at implementing single-electron/exciton devices for quantum information processing and communication. After an introductory chapter on the fundamentals of quantum dots, a number of more specialized review articles presents a comprehensive picture of this rapidly developing field, specifically including strongly multidisciplinary topics such as state-of-the-art nanofabrication and optical characterization, fully microscopic theoretical modeling of nontrivial many-body processes, as well as design and optimization of novel quantum-device architectures.Sample Chapter(s)

An international team of experts describes the optical and electronic properties of semiconductors and semiconductor nanostructures at picosecond and femtosecond time scales. The contributions cover the latest research on a wide range of topics. In particular they include novel experimental techniques for studying and characterizing nanostructure materials. The contributions are written in a tutorial way so that not only researchers in the field but also researchers and graduate students outside the field can benefit.

Special focus is given to the optical and electronic properties of single quantum dots due to their potential applications in devices operating with single electrons and/or single photons. This includes quantum dots in electric and magnetic fields, cavity-quantum electrodynamics, nonclassical light generation, and coherent optical control of excitons.

This thesis focuses on theoretical analysis of the sophisticated ultrafast optical experiments that probe the crucial first few picoseconds of quantum light harvesting, making an important contribution to quantum biology, an exciting new field at the intersection of condensed matter, physical chemistry and biology. It provides new insights into the role of vibrational dynamics during singlet fission of organic pentacene thin films, and targeting the importance of vibrational dynamics in the design of nanoscale organic light harvesting devices, it also develops a new wavelet analysis technique to probe vibronic dynamics in time-resolved nonlinear optical experiments. Lastly, the thesis explores the theory of how non-linear “breather” vibrations are excited and propagate in the disordered nanostructures of photosynthetic proteins.

Captures the most up-to-date research in the field, written in an accessible style by the world's leading experts.