title: Ultrafast population switching of quantum dots in a structured vacuum.
abstract: We demonstrate picosecond, high-contrast population flipping of two-level atoms interacting with femtojoule optical pulses in a 3D photonic band gap waveguide. This is the result of giant Mollow splitting caused by strong light localization and a remarkable field-dependent relaxation of the atomic Bloch vector as it evolves near an abrupt jump in the electromagnetic density of states. Unlike steady-state switching, population inversion can remain nearly complete after the pulse subsides. This may be used for multiwavelength channel, all-optical, on-chip information processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A7 Canada.
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Sajeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: John