Generation and detection of mode-locked spin coherence in (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots by laser pulses of long duration

S. Spatzek, S. Varwig, M. M. Glazov, I. A. Yugova, D. R. Yakovlev, D. Reuter, A. D. Wieck, M. Bayer

Published 2011-05-03Version 1

Using optical pulses of variable duration up to 80 ps, we report on spin coherence initialization and its subsequent detection in n-type singly-charged quantum dots, subject to a transverse magnetic field, by pump-probe techniques. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that the spin coherence generation and readout efficiencies are determined by the ratio of laser pulse duration to spin precession period: An increasing magnetic field suppresses the spin coherence signals for a fixed duration of pump and/or probe pulses, and this suppression occurs for smaller fields the longer the pulse duration is. The reason for suppression is the varying spin orientation due to precession during pulse action.