Correlation between fluorescence intermittency and spectral diffusion in single semiconductor quantum dots

We find a correlation between the dynamics of fluorescence intermittency an d spectral diffusion in the spectroscopy of single CdSe nanocrystal quantum dots (QD). A statistical analysis of the data suggests two populations of blinking events: blinking followed by large spectral diffusion shifts and b linking with small or no spectral shifts. Although unexpected from earlier studies, the correlation between blinking and spectral shifting is consiste nt with a model of QD ionization as the mechanism for the blinking event, f ollowed by a redistribution of local electric fields that results in spectr al shifting.