Abstract
Two salient features of the excitonic state in semiconductor quantum dots are theoretically clarified. One is the enhanced excitonic optical nonlinearity arising from the state filling of discrete levels due to the quantum size effect. The calculated third-order nonlinear susceptibility explains successfully the recent experimental results. The other feature is the exciton dynamics in semiconductor quantum dots. A comprehensive interpretation is presented for the fast- and slow-decay components in phase conjugation and luminescence measurements.