Ultraweak-absorption microscopy of a single semiconductor quantum dot in the midinfrared range

We show that we can measure the room temperature ultraweak absorption of a single buried semiconductor quantum dot. This is achieved by monitoring the deformation field induced by the absorption of midinfrared laser pulses and locally detected with an atomic force microscope tip. The absorption is spectrally and spatially resolved around lambda approximately 10 microm wavelength with 60 nm lateral resolution (lambda/150). The electronic S-D intersublevel absorption of a single quantum dot is identified around 120 meV and exhibits a homogeneous linewidth of approximately 10 meV at room temperature.