Excitonic artificial atoms: Engineering optical properties of quantum dots

We investigate factors which control the optical properties of quantum dots filled with N excitons. Detailed calculation of the electronic structure of these excitonic artificial atoms is carried out for up to six excitons in a semianalytical fashion. The principle underlying the electronic structure of excitonic artificial atoms, the “hidden symmetry,” is discussed. The role of “hidden symmetry” in the emission spectrum as a fingerprint of the number of excitons in a quantum dot is analyzed in detail.