Linear and nonlinear optical phenomena in quantum dot systems in interlevel resonance region: effect of electron-electron interaction

Linear and nonlinear optical phenomena in quantum dot (QD) systems caused by interlevel transitions are investigated theoretically. The electron-electron (e-e) interaction is taken into account by employing the self-consistent field approach in the quasistatic limit. It is shown that presence of metal surface, and especially another resonant system, can dramatically enhance the effect of the e-e interaction on the optical phenomena. The conditions for the intrinsic optical bistability in QD systems caused by the e-e interaction are discussed. The obtained results can find applications for designing, manufacturing, and exploiting nanooptoelectronics devices, in part, all-optical components like QD-based optical switches and optical transistors.