Terahertz generation and amplification in graphene nanoribbons in multi-frequency electric fields

We study theoretically a multi-frequency response of electrons in confined graphene subject to DC–AC driven fields. We explore the possibility for using graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) to generate and amplify terahertz (THz) radiations in electric field domainless regime. We discover two main important schemes of generation; when the frequencies are commensurate, THz generation is due to wave mixing and when they are non-commensurate, a single strong field suppresses space charge instability and any weak signals can get amplified.     

Photoluminescence of “dark” excitons in CdMnTe quantum well, embedded in a microcavity

A diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) quantum well (QW) microcavity operating in the limit of the strong coupling regime is studied by magnetoptical experiments. The interest of DMS QW relies on the possibility to vary the excitonic resonance over a wide range of energies by applying an external magnetic field, typically about 30 meV for 5 T in our sample. In particular, the anticrossing between the QW exciton and the cavity mode can be tuned by the external field. We observe the anticrossing and formation of exciton polaritons in magneto-reflectivity experiments. In contrast, magneto-luminescence exhibits purely excitonic character. Under resonant excitation conditions an additional emission line is observed at the energy of the dark exciton. The creation of dark excitons is made possible due to heavy hole–light hole mixing in the QW. The emission at this energy could be due to a combined spin flip of an electron and a bright exciton recombination.     

Magnetic field effect on the electronic states and the intraband optical absorption spectrum of a laser dressed double quantum dot molecule

The simultaneous effects of intense terahertz (THz) laser, a homogeneous magnetic fields, and the modification of the structural parameters on the electronic states, and the intraband optical absorption spectrum in a two-dimensional double quantum dot molecule are theoretically investigated. The crossing and anticrossing are observed in the energy dependence on the magnetic field induction between the third and the fourth energy levels. Additionally, it is shown that an intense THz laser field always shifts the energy spectrum to higher values. The variation of the structural parameters leads to the change of the positions of the energy levels and the anticrossing point. Finally, we have found that the intraband optical absorption spectrum, particularly the absorption intensity and the peak position, can be effectively regulated by an intense THz laser and a magnetic fields, as well as by the variation of the structural parameters of the double quantum dot molecule.     

Electron-spin and electron-orbital dependence of the tunnel coupling in laterally coupled double vertical dots

We employ a new laterally coupled, vertical double dot with a tunable tunnel-coupling gate in a parallel configuration to study the electron spin and orbital dependence of quantum mechanical tunnel coupling on the size of the honeycomb vertices in the small electron numbers regime. We find a transition from the weak coupling regime, where fluctuations in tunnel coupling due to varying electron configuration dominate the anticrossings, to a regime where the two dots coalesce. We apply a magnetic field to ascertain the orbital angular momenta of the Fermi surface eigenstates, which correlate with anticrossing size, and we identify spin pairs with congruent behavior.     

Optically induced level anticrossing in undoped GaAs/AlGaAs coupled double quantum wells

We report a photoluminescence detected anticrossing of the energy levels in an undoped asymmetric coupled-double-quantum-well buried in a p-i-n structure. Due to the built-in electric field, the quantum wells are tilted in such a way that the symmetric energy level is higher than that of the antisymmetric one in the conduction band. Keeping the laser excitation energy below the barrier, with increasing laser power, the level anticrossing and the quantum confined Stark effect were observed due to decreasing built-in electric field by the photogenerated electron and hole pairs.     

圆偏振激光脉冲附加静电场或太赫兹场时H2+高次谐波产生

本文通过数值求解二维含时薛定谔方程理论的研究了圆偏振激光脉冲(circularly polarized laser pulse, CPLP)作用下H2+的高次谐波产生(high-order harmonic generation, HHG)。通过对比CPLP附加静电场和CPLP附加太赫兹场(terahertz, THz)时的高次谐波发射谱发现,当在CPLP的方向附加静电场时,谐波谱出现双平台结构,且布满调制,通过电子波包概率分布图像发现,电子三次与母核复合,量子轨道之间产生了较严重的干涉。当附加相同强度的THz场时,电子仅两次与母核复合,量子轨道之间的干涉减少,最终得到了86eV到208eV带宽为122eV的连续谱,相比于附加静电场,谐波谱变得连续且平滑,实现了量子轨道调控。最后,利用半经典三步模型、时频分析和电离几率等对谐波发射物理机制进行了深入研究。     

Single-shot spatiotemporal measurements of high-field terahertz pulses

The electric field profiles of broad-bandwidth coherent terahertz (THz) pulses, emitted by laser-wakefield-accelerated electron bunches, are studied. The near-single-cycle THz pulses are measured with two single-shot techniques in the temporal and spatial domains. Spectra of 0-6 THz and peak fields up to approximately or = 0.4 MV cm(-1) are observed. The measured field substructure demonstrates the manifestation of spatiotemporal coupling at focus, which affects the interpretation of THz radiation as a bunch diagnostic and in high-field pump-probe experiments.     

Coherent THz synchrotron radiation from a storage ring with high-frequency RF system

The generation of brilliant, stable, and broadband coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) in electron storage rings depends strongly on ring rf system properties such as frequency and gap voltage. We have observed intense coherent radiation at frequencies approaching the THz regime produced by the MIT-Bates South Hall Ring, which employs a high-frequency S-band rf system. The measured CSR spectral intensity enhancement with 2 mA stored current was up to 10,000 times above background for wave numbers near 3 cm(-1). The measurements also uncovered strong beam instabilities that must be suppressed if such a very high rf frequency electron storage ring is to become a viable coherent THz source.     

Tunable few-cycle and multicycle coherent terahertz radiation from relativistic electrons

We report the generation of tunable, narrow-band, few-cycle and multicycle coherent terahertz (THz) pulses from a temporally modulated relativistic electron beam. We demonstrate that the frequency of the THz radiation and the number of the oscillation cycles of the THz electric field can be tuned by changing the modulation period of the electron beam through a temporally shaped photocathode drive laser. The central frequency of the THz spectrum is tunable from ～0.26 to 2.6 THz with a bandwidth of ～0.16 THz.     

Two-pulse nondegenerate excitation of electron-hole wave packets in quantum wells: tunable terahertz emission

It was shown recently that driving an optically excited quantum well with a terahertz (THz) frequency electric field can lead to higher-harmonic generation in the THz regime: the THz analog of the dynamic Franz-Keldysh effect. We propose a new double-pulse excitation method that not only increases the efficiency of the harmonic generation but is also able to control somewhat the dominant upshifted harmonic of the THz radiation by means of selective excitation of spatially chosen electron-hole relative motion wave packets.     

Excitation-wavelength-dependent THz wave modulation via external bias electric field

A theoretical model was proposed to describe the effects of external bias electric field on terahertz(THz) generated in air plasma. The model predicted that for a plasma in a bias electric field, the amplification effect of the THz wave intensity increases with the increase of the excitation laser wavelength. We experimentally observed the relationship between the THz enhancement effect and the electric field strength at different wavelengths. Experimental results showed a good agreement with the model predictions. These results enhance our understanding of the physical mechanism by which femtosecond lasers excite air to generate THz and extend the practical applications of THz generation and modulation.     

Electron lifetime measurements in MQW detectors: absorption and photoresponse saturation by a free electron laser

We measured the absorption and photoresponse saturation of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells as a function of the incident power. We used picosecond micropulses with a power density up to 10GW/cm² delivered by a free electron laser. First, we compared the absorption in a sample with a bound-to-bound transition to the absorption in a sample with a bound-to-free transition, and found that the electron lifetime in the bound-to-bound transition is about four times shorter than for the bound-to-free transition. Then, we measured the photoresponse saturation in multi-quantum well detectors for different biases. We observed that the electron lifetime increases with the applied electric field from about 1 ps at zero field up to 10ps at 20kV/cm.     

Interaction of Wannier–Stark levels in a wide well superlattice

We have investigated the energy spectrum of a superlattice with wide quantum wells under the bias of an electric field perpendicular to the superlattice layers. By using photocurrent spectroscopy, transitions of Wannier–Stark levels for the various electron and hole states are observed, and at low fields, further structures corresponding to miniband edge transitions are found. Various anticrossings could be observed at higher and lower electric fields. The anticrossings at high electric fields are due to energy alignment of different electronic sublevels in adjacent wells. The anticrossing structures at low fields could be interpreted as resonances between intrawell and interwell excitonic Wannier–Stark states with equal sublevel states, where the anticrossing is caused by differences in exciton binding energy. Fitting of transitions and anticrossings was done by using a semi-empirical model and we have extracted relevant fitting parameters like the quantum-confined Stark coefficient, binding energies for the excitonic Wannier–Stark levels and the resonant coupling strength for states involved in the various anticrossing transitions. Finally, insight into the excitonic influences on the coupling of the WS states could be obtained by comparing the fitted parameters for the various transitions.     

Anomalous variation of the exciton Fano-resonance spectra in strongly biased Wannier-Stark ladder

Effects of the Wannier-Stark ladder (WSL) resonance on optical absorption spectra in strongly biased superlattices are theoretically investigated by solving the multichannel scattering problem relevant to the WSL-exciton Fano-resonance. When the bias of an electric field F is applied such that a WSL subband state is energetically aligned with adjacent ones, resulting in strong repulsion (anticrossing) due to Zener resonance, an onset of exciton absorption notably shifts toward the lower energy side. However, just a slight change of F away from the anticrossing leads to a peculiar suppression, lowering the absorption edge. According to a qualitative analytic model, such an anomalous variance is found ascribable to delocalization of WSL subband wave functions across several periods through a mixing of an exciton reduced mass in the region of the potential well with that in the region of the potential barrier.     

Direct observation of controlled coupling in an individual quantum dot molecule

We report the direct observation of quantum coupling in individual quantum dot molecules and its manipulation using static electric fields. A pronounced anticrossing of different excitonic transitions is observed as the electric field is tuned. A comparison of our experimental results with theory shows that the observed anticrossing occurs between excitons with predominant spatially direct and indirect character and reveals a field driven transition of the nature of the molecular ground state exciton wave function. Finally, the interdot quantum coupling strength is deduced optically and its dependence on the interdot separation is calculated.     

Nonlinear cross-phase modulation with intense single-cycle terahertz pulses

We have demonstrated nonlinear cross-phase modulation in electro-optic crystals using intense, single-cycle terahertz (THz) radiation. Individual THz pulses, generated by coherent transition radiation emitted by subpicosecond electron bunches, have peak energies of up to 100 microJ per pulse. The time-dependent electric field of the intense THz pulses induces cross-phase modulation in electro-optic crystals through the Pockels effect, leading to spectral shifting, broadening, and modulation of copropagating laser pulses. The observed THz-induced cross-phase modulation agrees well with a time-dependent phase-shift model.     

太赫兹液晶材料与器件研究进展

液晶是一种性能优异的可调控光电功能材料,基于液晶的太赫兹器件有着广泛的应用前景,但高性能太赫兹功能器件的研发仍处于初级阶段.本文综述了太赫兹领域液晶材料与器件的研究现状,探讨了液晶技术与太赫兹技术相结合的发展趋势.     

静电场中铷原子里德堡态反交叉位置和宽度的计算

用碱金属原子的模型势结合B-样条函数展开方法研究了静电场中铷原子里德堡态的能级结构特点,计算了铷原子主量子数n由16到25之间的(n 3)s和(n,k)态间的Stark能级反交叉位置和宽度,得到了与实验相一致的结果,并给出了计算铷原子在静电场中高里德堡态能级反交叉位置的经验公式.     

Balance equations for electron transport in an arbitrary energy band driven by an intense terahertz field. Application to superlattice miniband transport

We suggest a balance-equation approach to hot-electron transport in a single arbitrary energy band subject to an intense radiation field of terahertz (THz) frequency, including all the multiphoton emission and absorption processes and taking account of realistic scatterings due to impurities and phonons. This approach, which allows one to calculate THz-driving, time-averaging transport based on a set of time-independent equations, provides a convenient method to study the effect of an intense THz electric field on carrier transport in a nonparabolic energy band. As an example, these fully three-dimensional, acceleration- and energy-balance equations are applied to the discussion of superlattice miniband transport at lattice temperature T=77 and 300 K driven by the THz radiation field of varying strengths. It is shown that the current through a dc biased miniband superlattice is greatly reduced by the irradiation of an intense THz electric field. Received: 23 January 1998 / Revised: 31 March 1998 / Accepted: 20 April 1998     

Terahertz conductivity and possible BLOCH gain in semiconductor superlattices

We have investigated terahertz emission due to dynamical electron transport in wide-miniband GaAs/Al(0.3)Ga0.7As superlattices. By noting that the time-domain THz emission spectroscopy inherently measures the step-response of the electron system to the bias electric field, the obtained THz spectra were compared with the high-frequency conductivities predicted for miniband transport. Excellent agreement between theory and experiment strongly supports that the THz gain due to Bloch oscillating electrons persists at least up to 1.7 THz. It was also found that Zener tunneling into the second miniband sets the high-frequency limit to the THz gain for the samples studied here.