Colloidal InP core/sell nanocrystals are taking over CdSe-based nanocrystals, notably in optoelectronic applications. Despite their use in commercial device such as display screens, the optical properties of InP nanocrystals and especially their relation with the exciton fine structure remains poorly understood. In this work, we show that the magneto-optical properties of ensemble InP-based core/shell nanocrystals investigated in strong magnetic fields up to 30 T are strikingly different compared to other colloidal nanostructures. Notably, the mixing of the lowest spin-forbidden dark exciton state with the nearest spin-allowed bright state does not occur, up to the highest magnetic fields applied. This lack of mixing in ensemble of nanocrystals suggests an anisotropy-tolerance of InP nanocrystals. This striking property allowed us to unveil the slow spin dynamics between Zeeman sublevels (up to 400 ns at 15 T). Furthermore, we show that the unexpected magnetic field-induced lengthening of the dark exciton lifetime results from the hyperfine interaction between the spin of the electron in the dark exciton with the nuclear magnetic moments. Our results demonstrate the richness of the spin physics in InP quantum dots and stress the large potential of InP nanostructures for spin-based applications.
KEYWORD:colloidal nanostructure, III-V, hyperfine interaction, dark exciton, high magnetic field