Disentangling the role of linear transition dipole in band-edge emission from single CdSe/ZnS quantum dots: Combined linear anisotropy and defocused emission pattern imaging

Combined linear anisotropy and defocused wide-field fluorescence imaging of individual CdSe/ZnS quantum dots reveal an unambiguous contribution of a linear transition dipole polarized along the hexagonal (c-) symmetry axis of the nanocrystal which grows with increasing tilt angle of the c-axis with respect to the surface normal. These results offer some insights into quantum dot luminescence polarization dynamics, and provide a basis for unambiguously assigning the two Euler angles describing the c-axis orientation from defocused emission patterns for multidipole systems.