Polarization of the terahertz radiation of uniaxially compressed p germanium at the electrical breakdown of a shallow acceptor impurity

The spectral and polarization investigations of spontaneous terahertz radiation under the conditions of the electrical breakdown of shallow acceptors (gallium) in germanium crystals have been reported. The radiation spectra of crystals uniaxially compressed in the [111] direction at a pressure of about 3 kbar, as well as undeformed crystals, have been measured at T = 5 K using a Fourier spectrometer with step scanning. The polarization of radiation has been estimated for transitions of holes between various states of a shallow acceptor in uniaxially compressed germanium. To identify the observed radiation lines, their experimental energies and polarizations have been compared to the respective calculated values. The spectral lines corresponding to the transitions of holes from the resonance state to the excited states of acceptors have been identified.     

Terahertz electroluminescence under conditions of shallow acceptor breakdown in germanium

The spectrum of spontaneous terahertz electroluminescence was obtained near the breakdown threshold of a shallow acceptor (Ga) in germanium. The emission spectra were recorded by the Fourier spectroscopy method at a temperature of ～5.5–5.6 K. The emission spectrum exhibits narrow lines with maxima at ～1.99 THz (8.2 meV) and ～2.36 THz (9.7 meV), corresponding to the optical transitions of nonequilibrium holes from the excited impurity states to the ground state of impurity center. A broad line with a maximum at ～3.15 THz (13 meV) corresponding to the hole transitions from the valence band to the impurity ground state is also seen in the spectrum. The contribution of the hole transitions from the states of the valence band increases upon an increase in the electric-field strength. Simultaneously, the optical transitions of nonequilibrium holes between the subbands of the valence band appear in the emission spectrum. The integral terahertz-emission power is ～17 nW per 1 W of the input power.     

Absorption and emission of terahertz radiation in doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

Spontaneous emission of terahertz radiation from structures with GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells in a longitudinal magnetic field has been studied. It is shown that some bands in the emission spectrum can be related to radiative electron transitions between resonant and localized impurity states, as well as to the transitions with participation of subband states. The temperature dependence of the equilibrium intraband absorption of terahertz radiation and its modulation in a longitudinal electric field in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells has been investigated.     

Optical transitions of holes in uniaxially compressed germanium

Spontaneous emission and photoconductivity of germanium with gallium impurity are studied for determining the energy spectrum of hole states in this material in which radiation can be induced as a result of transitions of holes between these states. Holes were excited by electric field pulses with a strength up to 12 kV/cm at T = 4.2 K under uniaxial compression of samples up to 12 kbar. It has been found that hole emission spectra for transitions between resonant and local states of the impurity have a structure identical to the photoconductivity and absorption spectra. Transitions from resonance states, which are associated with the heavy hole subband, have not been detected. It has been found that in an electric field lower than 100 V/cm, a compressed crystal emits as a result of transitions of heavy holes. In a strong electric field (1–3 kV/cm), emission is observed in the energy range up to 140 meV, and transitions with emission of TA and LO phonons appear in such a field. The emission spectra under pressures of 0 and 12 kbar differ insignificantly. Hence, it follows that the contributions from heavy and light holes in a strong electric field are indistinguishable.     

Donor-impurity related binding energy and photoinization cross-section in quantum dots: electric and magnetic fields and hydrostatic pressure effects

We have studied the behavior of the binding energy and photoionization cross-section of a donor-impurity in cylindrical-shape GaAs-Ga_0.7Al_0.3As quantum dots, under the effects of hydrostatic pressure and in-growth direction applied electric and magnetic fields. We have used the variational method under the effective mass and parabolic band approximations. Parallel and perpendicular polarizations of the incident radiation and several values of the quantum dot geometry have also been considered. Our results show that the photoionization cross-section growths as the hydrostatic pressure is increased. For parallel polarization of the incident radiation, the photoionization cross-section decreases when the impurity is shifted from the center of the dot. In the case of perpendicular polarization of the incident radiation, the photoionization cross-section increases when the impurity is shifted in the radial direction of the dot. For on-axis impurities the transitions between the ground state of the impurity and the ground state of the quantum dot are forbidden. In the low pressure regime (less than 13.5 kbar) the impurity binding energy growths linearly with pressure, and in the high pressure regime (higher than 13.5 kbar) the binding energy growths up to a maximum and then decreases. Additionally, we have found that the applied electric and magnetic fields may favor the increase or decrease in binding energy, depending on the impurity position.     

Modulation of terahertz generation in dual-color filaments by an external electric field and preformed plasma

Terahertz generation driven by dual-color filaments in air is demonstrated to be remarkably enhanced by applying an external electric field to the filaments. As terahertz generation is sensitive to the dual-color phase difference, a preformed plasma is verified efficiently in modulating terahertz radiation from linear to elliptical polarization. In the presence of preformed plasma, a dual-color filament generates terahertz pulses of elliptical polarization and the corresponding ellipse rotates regularly with the change of the preformed plasma density. The observed terahertz modulation with the external electric field and the preformed plasma provides a simple way to estimate the plasma density and evaluate the photocurrent dynamics of the dual-color filaments. It provides further experimental evidence of the photo-current model in governing the dual-color filament driven terahertz generation processes.     

Electric field effects on an optically-pumped HCOOH FIR laser and Zeeman laser theory

Electric field effects have been investigated on the output power of six far-infrared (FIR) laser lines from H¹²COOH optically-pumped by a CO₂ laser with its polarization arranged perpendicular to the Stark field. Optoacoustic signals observed on the pump lines were hardly affected by the applied electric field up to 0.6 kV/cm. By neglecting the electric field effects on the pump transitions, Zeeman laser theory has been applied to the FIR laser transitions. Numerical calculation predicts the observed FIR output power as a function of electric field. Experessions for oscillation frequency and intensity in homogeneous limit are given, which may be applicable to any FIR Stark laser so far as the pump transition is free from electric field effects.     

Generation of terahertz radiation in high-quality diamond samples

A method is proposed for generating terahertz radiation by producing a spectrally limited population inversion between light- and heavy-hole subbands in the valence band of semiconductors. This inversion is achieved by placing a sample in a static magnetic field and pumping it with an alternating electric field resonant with a cyclotron frequency of heavy holes. At a sufficiently low concentration of holes when the energy exchange between them is less effective than the exchange with the lattice, a considerable heating of heavy holes occurs with a nearly constant distribution function of light holes. However, the low hole concentration leads to a small terahertz field gain that can exceed the field loss only in high-quality diamond samples that are almost transparent in the terahertz range. An important advantage of this method for generating terahertz radiation over the previously proposed techniques is the possibility of implementing it at room temperature, which substantially increases its attractiveness, especially for use in biology and medicine.     

Electric dichroism of a multiwell spectral hole as an indicator of anisotropy in the distribution of stark moments of impurity molecules

Burning of multiwell holes in impurity-absorption spectra of glasses and polymers in an alternating electric field was theoretically studied. A case of circularly polarized burning radiation with a spectrum consisting of a series of close equidistant lines that shift synchronously with the variation of the electric field across the sample was considered. It was shown that an electric field applied to the sample after hole burning changes the optical density in the hole center, and that this change depends on the orientation of the plane of polarization of the probing radiation. Centrosymmetric impurity molecules, whose Stark moments (with randomly distributed magnitudes and directions) are governed only by their interaction with matrix molecules, and molecules with small intrinsic permanent Stark moments were considered. It was shown that the measurements of electric dichroism of a multiwell spectral hole make it possible to study both the anisotropy of matrix-induced moments and additional moments that arise, for example, when a metal atom leaves the plane of a metalloporphyrin molecule. It was also shown that the sensitivity and selectivity of the suggested method exceed those of known methods.     

Plasma mechanisms of pulsed terahertz radiation generation

We present the results on generating terahertz radiation in the plasma of an optical discharge arising in the atmosphere during the focusing of femtosecond laser radiation. Different generation schemes related to focusing of the optical radiation by spherical and axicon lenses, with a constant electric field imposed on the laser spark region, as well as with the use of bichromatic laser radiation, are studied. Directivity patterns and polarization distributions of the terahertz radiation are analyzed in detail for different generation techniques. Comparison with the experimental results obtained by other research groups is given. Possible nonlinear mechanisms of the terahertz radiation generation are discussed.     

Intraband Dynamics and Terahertz Emission in Biased GaAs/In0.53Ga0.47As Semiconductor Superlattices

Using an excitonic basis, we investigate the intraband polarization, opticalabsorption spectra, and terahertz emission of semiconductor superlattice withthe density matrix theory. The excitonic Bloch oscillation is driven by the dcand ac electric fields. The slow variation in the intraband polarizationdepends on the ac electric field frequency. The intraband polarizationincreases when the ac electric field frequency is below the Bloch frequency.When the ac electric field frequency is above the Bloch frequency, theintraband polarization downwards and its intensity decreases. The satellitestructures in the optical absorption spectra are presented. Due to excitonicdynamic localization, the emission lines of terahertz shift in different acelectric field and dc electric field.     

Polarization of valence band holes in the (Ga,Mn)as diluted magnetic semiconductor

We report on direct measurements of the impurity band hole polarization in the diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As. The polarization of impurity band holes in a magnetic field is strongly enhanced by antiferromagnetic exchange interaction with Mn ions. The temperature dependence of the hole polarization shows a strong increase of this polarization below the Curie temperature. We show that the ground state of the impurity band is formed by uniaxial stress split F=+/-1 states of antiferromagnetically coupled Mn ions (S=5/2) and valence band holes (J=3/2). The gap between the Mn acceptor related impurity band and the valence band is directly measured in a wide range of Mn content.     

Hydrodynamic simulation of chaotic dynamics in InGaAs oscillator in terahertz region

Hydrodynamic calculations of the chaotic behaviors in n^+nn^+In0.53Ga0.47As devices biased in terahertz(THz)electric field have been carried out.Their different transport characteristics have been carefully investigated by tuning the n-region parameters and the applied ac radiation.The oscillatory mode is found to transit between synchronization and chaos,as verified by the first return map.The transitions result from the mixture of the dc induced oscillation and the one driven by the ac radiation.Our findings will give further and thorough understanding of electron transport in In0.53Ga0.47As terahertz oscillator,which is a promising solid-state THz source.     

Intraexciton and Intracenter Terahertz Radiation from Doped Silicon under Interband Photoexcitation

Terahertz photoluminescence of boron- and phosphorus-doped silicon at low temperatures under interband photoexcitation is investigated. The lines of radiative transitions between free-exciton levels and between the levels of shallow impurity centers are observed. The intensities of these lines exhibit different dependences on temperature and excitation intensity. At temperatures near the temperature of liquid helium (T ~ 5 K), the terahertz radiation spectrum features a broad band (about 18–20 meV wide) with a peak at an energy of about 20–22 meV. This band is apparently associated with radiative transitions of nonequilibrium charge carriers from the states of the continuum to the state of an electron–hole liquid.     

Electronic states in a Pöschl–Teller-like quantum well: Combined effects of electric field, hydrostatic pressure, and temperature

The work is devoted to present a theoretical study of the influences of external probes, such as applied electric field and hydrostatic pressure, on the electron and hole states in a Pöschl–Teller quantum well. The calculations have been done in the framework of the variational method. The dependence of the ground state energy of an electron and/or hole confined in the quantum well has been obtained as a function of the applied electric field and hydrostatic pressure. Different values of the asymmetry parameters of the Pöschl–Teller potential as well as temperature have been considered. It is shown that as a result of the increase in the electric field there is an augment of the ground state energy, and also that by increasing the quantum well width the effects of applied electric field are strengthened. It is obtained from the calculations that the ground state energy is a decreasing (increasing) function of the hydrostatic pressure (temperature). It is found that in the high pressure regime the energy grows with pressure, which is a previously unknown result. In the case of holes, the energy is always an increasing function both of the pressure and the temperature. Besides, the behavior of the photoluminescence peak energies associated to transitions between the ground states of electrons and heavy holes in the system is also reported.     

Low-temperature photoluminescence of MBE-grown GaAs subject to an electric field

Low-temperature photoluminescence of GaAs has been investigated in MBE-grown Al _x Ga_1–x As-GaAs single heterojunctions subject to an electric field. No peak energy shift is observed in the emission lines due to free excitons and excitons bound to isolated centers when the electric field is applied. In contrast, the excitonic lines arising from the previously described defect-induced bound exciton (DIBX) transitions exhibit a prominent low-energy shift when the electric field is increased. We attribute these lines to excitons bound to acceptor pairs. The excitons bound to distant pairs have smaller binding energies than those bound to closer pairs. They are, therefore, easily dissociated in a weak electric field. The electrons and holes thus dissociated may again be trapped by closer pairs, which results in a low-energy shift of the overall spectrum. The photocurrent measured as a function of the electric field supports Dingle's rule for the valence bandedge discontinuity.     

Combined Magneto-Electric Spin Resonance of Impurity Ho Ions in Synthetic Forsterite

Continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of impurity holmium ions in synthetic forsterite have been studied on an ELEXSYS E580 spectrometer equipped with a cylindrical dielectric resonator ER4118MD5-W1 of the Flexline series. Resonance lines of the anomalous shape demonstrating the absorption contour instead of its derivative were observed at the conventional operation mode with the magnetic field modulation. The conditions of the appearance of anomalous signals and their characteristics have been studied. The anomalous lines shape effect was explained by the simultaneous excitation of magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole transitions between electron–nuclear spin sublevels of the holmium ions.     

Terahertz radiation induced by the Wannier-Stark localization of electrons in a natural silicon carbide superlattice

Intense terahertz electroluminescence from SiC structures with a miniband electron spectrum caused by the natural superlattice has been observed. The shape of the terahertz radiation line, the linear dependence of the position of its maximum on the bias voltage, the typical value of the field required to induce the radiation, and the prevailing polarization of the radiation along the superlattice axis indicate that the observed radiation results from to the excitation of stationary Bloch oscillations of electrons in the natural silicon carbide superlattice.     

Strong enhancement of terahertz radiation from laser filaments in air by a static electric field

We observe a 3 order of magnitude enhancement of the terahertz energy radiated by a femtosecond pulse undergoing filamentation in air in the presence of a static electric field. Measurements of terahertz pulse duration, spectrum, polarization, and radiation pattern elucidate the physical processes responsible for this radiation. A theoretical model explains the results and predicts another 3 orders of magnitude enhancement with a terawatt laser pulse.