Room temperature optical gain in CdSe nanorod solutions

We have performed femtosecond transient absorption measurements on CdSe nanorods in hexane solution as a function of pump wavelength and pump intensity. We found that although it is not possible to achieve optical gain when pumping at energies (400 nm) high above the band-gap energy, this problem can be circumvented by pumping the CdSe nanorods directly at the lowest 1S transition. We attribute the difference to alternative relaxation pathways and possibly trapping, resulting in a competing induced absorption below the band-gap energy when excitation is carried out at high energies. Our results suggest that it is possible to achieve stimulated emission from CdSe nanoparticles in solution at ambient temperature if the excitation wavelength is chosen properly. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.