  We calculate the excitonic optical absorption spectra of (In,Ga)As/GaAs
self-assembled quantum dots by adopting an atomistic pseudopotential approach
to the single-particle problem followed by a configuration-interaction approach
to the many-body problem. We find three types of allowed transitions that would
be naively expected to be forbidden. (i) Transitions that are parity forbidden
in simple effective mass models with infinite confining wells (e.g. 1S-2S,
1P-2P) but are possible by finite band-offsets and orbital-mixing effects; (ii)
light-hole--to--conduction transitions, enabled by the confinement of
light-hole states; and (iii) transitions that show and enhanced intensity due
to electron-hole configuration mixing with allowed transitions. We compare
these predictions with results of 8-band k.p calculations as well as recent
spectroscopic data. Transitions in (i) and (ii) explain recently observed
satellites of the allowed P-P transitions.
