We theoretically describe electric transport through an optically active quantum dot embedded in a single-mode cavity, and coupled to source-drain particle reservoirs. The populations of various many-body configurations (e.g., excitons, trions, biexciton) and the photon-number occupancies are calculated from a master equation which is derived in the basis of dressed states. These take into account both the Coulomb and the light-matter interaction. The former is essential in the description of the transport, while for the latter we identify situations in which it can be neglected in the expression of tunneling rates. The fermionic nature of the particle reservoirs plays an important role in the argument. The master equation is numerically solved for the $s$-shell many-body configurations of disk-shaped quantum dots. If the cavity is tuned to the biexciton-exciton transition, the most efficient optical processes take place in a three-level $\mathrm{\Lambda }$ system. The alternative exciton–ground-state route is inhibited as nonresonant due to the biexciton binding energy. The steady-state current is analyzed as a function of the photon frequency and the coupling to the leads. An unexpected feature appears in its dependence on the cavity loss rate, which turns out to be nonmonotonic.

• Received 4 April 2018
• Revised 4 May 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.195442