Triggered Single Photons from a Quantum Dot

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