Band-edge exciton fine structure of single CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals in external magnetic fields

We report a spectroscopic study of the two lowest-energy exciton levels of individual CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals under applied magnetic fields. Field-induced coupling between the bright and the dark excitonic states is directly observed in the low-temperature photoluminescence spectrum and decay and allows the determination of the angle between the nanocrystal c axis and the field. Orientation-dependent Zeeman splittings of the dark and bright exciton sublevels are measured and provide the corresponding exciton Landé factors, as well as spin-flip relaxation rates between Zeeman sublevels.