Optical control and decoherence of spin qubits in quantum dots

We discuss various methods of all-optical spin control in semiconductor quantum dots. We present different ways of rotating a single confined electron spin by optical coupling to a trion state. We also discuss a method for controlling the polarization of a confined exciton via a two-photon transition. Finally, we analyze the effect of phonon-induced decoherence on the fidelity of these optical spin control protocols.