Second-order correlation function from asymmetric to symmetric transitions due to spectrally indistinguishable biexciton cascade emission

Abstract: We report the observed photon bunching statistics of biexciton cascade emission at zero time delay in single quantum dots by second-order correlation function measurements under continuous wave excitation. It is found that the bunching phenomenon is independent of the biexciton binding energy when it varies from 0.59 meV to nearly zero. The photon bunching takes place when the exciton photon is not spectrally distinguishable from biexciton photon, and either of them can trigger the start in a Hanbury-Brown and Twiss setup. However, if the exciton energy is spectrally distinguishable from the biexciton the photon statistics becomes asymmetric and a cross-bunching lineshape is obtained. The theoretical calculations based on a model of three-level rate-equation analysis are consistent with the result of second-order correlation function measurements.