Quantum-Optically Resolving the Number of Colloidal Quantum Dots in a Subwavelength Volume | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Quantum-Optically Resolving the Number of Colloidal Quantum Dots in a Subwavelength Volume Chaoyuan Jin, Zhibo Ni This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058648/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The number resolution of solid-state artificial atoms is of fundamental interest for the study of quantum few-body systems, yet remains experimentally challenging. Quantum optical experiments offer a non-invasive approach which links up macroscopic measurements with the quantity of quantum emitters. In this work, we propose a time-domain quantum optical methodology for the strict numbering of colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) confined in subwavelength size polystyrene capsules. The non-polarized, homogeneously broadened emission of colloidal QDs in the subwavelength volume satisfies the description of Dicke’s superradiance of identical quantum emitters. An analytic relation describes the numerical dependence of the second-order photon correlation on the number and the collective lifetime of emitters, yielding an experimental counting range from one to ten. This work provides a robust pathway for the non-invasive numbering of artificial atoms and the investigation of collective light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. Electronic Materials and Devices Electrophysics Quantum dots Quantum optics Superradiance Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9058648","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":602339194,"identity":"0192ddf6-375b-4038-9c5c-ea62a2049f7e","order_by":0,"name":"Chaoyuan Jin","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAtklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxmYQWcHADKIkSNByhhQtEH1tEJo4LcztvAc/886rYzc4wHzwNg+DXR4RDuNLlubdxsZscIAt2ZqHIbmYCC08Zsy823iAWnjMpHkYDiQ2EKdljgRQC/83UrQ0GIBsYSNai7HknGMJzJKH2Ywt5xgkE9Zi2H/G8MObmrpkvuPND2+8qbAjQgtQBRMPA0MyJDINCKkHAnmQ434wMNgRoXYUjIJRMApGKgAAAV0vnLBRoPIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chaoyuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Jin","suffix":""},{"id":602339195,"identity":"f01b9bf0-380e-483a-a656-b7040a7eb2e7","order_by":1,"name":"Zhibo Ni","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhibo","middleName":"","lastName":"Ni","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-07 13:15:40","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058648/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058648/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104405781,"identity":"6687d645-fd14-4f72-a2df-02240f756f42","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:23:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3413952,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"QuantumOpticallyResolvingtheNumberofColloidalQuantumDotsinaSubwavelengthVolume.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9058648/v1_covered_24cbcd7c-de51-41a1-a710-2f8f47307d07.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eQuantum-Optically Resolving the Number of Colloidal Quantum Dots in a Subwavelength Volume\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Zhejiang University","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"
[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Quantum dots, Quantum optics, Superradiance","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058648/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058648/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe number resolution of solid-state artificial atoms is of fundamental interest for the study of quantum few-body systems, yet remains experimentally challenging. Quantum optical experiments offer a non-invasive approach which links up macroscopic measurements with the quantity of quantum emitters. In this work, we propose a time-domain quantum optical methodology for the strict numbering of colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) confined in subwavelength size polystyrene capsules. The non-polarized, homogeneously broadened emission of colloidal QDs in the subwavelength volume satisfies the description of Dicke’s superradiance of identical quantum emitters. An analytic relation describes the numerical dependence of the second-order photon correlation on the number and the collective lifetime of emitters, yielding an experimental counting range from one to ten. This work provides a robust pathway for the non-invasive numbering of artificial atoms and the investigation of collective light-matter interactions at the nanoscale.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Quantum-Optically Resolving the Number of Colloidal Quantum Dots in a Subwavelength Volume","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-10 05:26:44","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058648/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"
[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"75133b0c-a624-45b4-9288-0289f4e7f080","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 10th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":64102611,"name":"Electronic Materials and Devices"},{"id":64102612,"name":"Electrophysics"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-10T05:26:44+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-10 05:26:44","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9058648","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9058648","identity":"rs-9058648","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}
Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below.
Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure
cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can
have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy
(via DOI)
is the canonical version.