Interactive musical display of quantum dot emission spectra

Quantum dots (QDs) are zero-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures composed of thousands of atoms. QDs are often referred to as artificial atoms because their small structure results in unique, atom-like behavior; like atoms, QDs have optical emission at discrete wavelengths. Here the authors describe a novel method to interactively learn about the spectral properties of QDs using musical intuitions. They transform spectral information from selected Indum Arsenide (InAs) QDs into musical information, including both pitch and rhythm. Thus, they generate a multisensory experience of spectral information allowing users to learn about the range of frequencies of QDs as well as their unique spectral properties resulting from coulombic interactions.