Controlling fluorescence intermittency of a single colloidal CdSe/ZnS quantum dot in a half cavity

We show that by placing a single CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD) near a high-reflective optical mirror, both the photoluminescence intensity and the blinking statistics can be modified significantly and controlled deterministically by changing the dot-mirror distance. The modified local optical mode density in proximity to the QD alters the internal dynamics of the QD, which controls its blinking behavior. Such external controls of single-QD blinking can help us to better understand the underlying mechanism of the blinking process and lead to interesting applications of such QDs.