The effect of dielectric polarization-induced surface states on many-body configurations in a quantum dot

We compute the exact lowest energy states and addition spectra for N interacting carriers in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) embedded in low-dielectric-constant matrices. In particular we focus on the transition between the low dielectric mismatch regime, where single-particle states are confined inside the QD, and the large mismatch regime, where surface localized states may be induced by the dielectric potential outside the QD. In this transition, many-body ground-state reconstructions occur which give rise to strong deviations from the regular shell-filling behaviour dictated by Hand's rules. Our calculated addition spectra indicate that such effects could be monitored in transport experiments.