Observation of the full exciton and phonon fine structure in CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod heteronanocrystals

Light emission of semiconductor nanocrystals is a complex process, depending on many factors, among which are the quantum mechanical size confinement of excitons (coupled electron-hole pairs) and the influence of confined phonon modes and the nanocrystal surface. Despite years of research, the nature of nanocrystal emission at low temperatures is still under debate. Here we unravel the different optical recombination pathways of CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod systems that show an unprecedented number of narrow emission lines upon resonant laser excitation. By using self-assembled, vertically aligned rods and application of crystallographically oriented high magnetic fields, the origin of all these peaks is established. We observe a clear signature of an acoustic-phonon assisted transition, separated from the zero-phonon emission and optical-phonon replica, proving that nanocrystal light emission results from an intricate interplay between bright (optically allowed) and dark (optically forbidden) exciton states, coupled to both acoustic and optical phonon modes.