We have studied the optical spectra of low-dimensional semiconductor systems by calculating all possible optical transitions between electronic states. Optical absorption and emission have been obtained under different carrier population conditions and in different photon wavelengths. The line-shapes of the peaks in the optical spectrum are determined by the density of electronic states of the system, and the symmetries and intensities of these peaks can be improved by reducing the dimensionality of the system. Optical gain requires in general a population inversion, whereas for a quantum-dot system, there exists a threshold value of the population inversion.