A light-hole exciton in a quantum dot

A light-hole exciton is a quasiparticle formed from a single electron bound to a single light hole. This type of fundamental excitation, if confined inside a semiconductor quantum dot, could be advantageous in quantum information science and technology. However, it has been difficult to access it so far, because confinement and strain in conventional quantum dots favour a ground-state single-particle hole with a predominantly heavy-hole character. Here we demonstrate the creation of a light-hole exciton ground state by applying elastic stress to an initially unstrained quantum dot. Its signature is clearly distinct from that of the well-known heavy-hole exciton and consists of three orthogonally polarized bright optical transitions and a fine-structure splitting of hundreds of microelectronvolts between in-plane and out-of-plane components. This work paves the way for the exploration of the fundamental properties and of the potential relevance of three-dimensionally confined light-hole states in quantum technologies. An electron and a hole trapped in the same quantum dot couple together to form an exciton. Conventionally the hole involved is a heavy hole. Light-hole excitons are now observed by applying elastic stress to initially unstrained gallium arsenide-based dots. The quasiparticles are identified by their optical emission signature, and could be used in future quantum technologies.