Triggered single photons from a quantum dot

We demonstrate a new method for generating triggered single photons. After a laser pulse generates excitons inside of a single quantum dot, electrostatic interactions between them and the resulting spectral shifts allow a single emitted photon to be isolated. Autocorrelation measurements show a reduction of the two-photon probability to 0.12 times the value for Poisson light. Strong anti-bunching persists when the emission is saturated. The emitted photons are also polarized.