Time–Frequency Signatures of Electronic Coherence of Colloidal CdSe Quantum Dot Dimer Assemblies Probed at Room Temperature by Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy

Electronic coherence signatures can be directly identified in the time–frequency maps measured in two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES). Here, we demonstrate the theory and discuss the advantages of this approach via the detailed application to the fast-femtosecond beatings of a wide variety of electronic coherences in ensemble dimers of quantum dots (QDs), assembled from QDs of 3 nm in diameter, with 8% size dispersion in diameter. The observed and computed results can be consistently characterized directly in the time–frequency domain by probing the polarization in the 2DES setup. The experimental and computed time–frequency maps are found in very good agreement, and several electronic coherences are characterized at room temperature in solution, before the extensive dephasing due to the size dispersion begins. As compared to the frequency–frequency maps that are commonly used in 2DES, the time–frequency maps allow exploiting electronic coherences without additional post-processing and with fewer 2DES measurements. Towards quantum technology applications, we also report on the modeling of the time–frequency photocurrent response of these electronic coherences, which paves the way to integrating QD devices with classical architectures, thereby enhancing the quantum advantage of such technologies for parallel information processing at room temperature.