Control of coherent acoustic phonons in semiconductor quantum wells.

Using subpicosecond optical pump-probe techniques, coherent zone-folded longitudinal acoustic phonons (ZFLAPs) were investigated in an InGaN multiple quantum well structure. A two-pump differential transmission technique was used to generate and control coherent ZFLAP oscillations through the relative timing and amplitude of the two pump pulses. Enhancement and suppression of ZFLAP oscillations were demonstrated, including complete cancellation of generated acoustic phonons for the first time in any material system. Coherent control was used to demonstrate that ZFLAPs are generated differently in InGaN multiple quantum wells than in GaAs/AlAs superlattices.     

Spin-dependent resistivity and quantum Hall ferromagnetism in two-dimensional electrons confined to AlAs quantum wells

We observe a strong dependence of the amplitude and field position of longitudinal resistivity (ρ_xx) peaks in the spin-resolved integer quantum Hall regime on the spin orientation of the Landau level (LL) in which the Fermi energy resides. The amplitude of a given peak is maximal when the partially filled LL has the same spin as the lowest LL, and amplitude changes as large as an order of magnitude are observed as the sample is tilted in field. In addition, the field position of both the ρ_xx peaks and plateau–plateau transitions in the Hall resistance shift depending on the spin orientation of the LLs. The spin dependence of the resistivity points to a new explanation for resistivity spikes, associated with first-order quantum Hall ferromagnetic transitions, that occur at the edges of quantum Hall states.     

Elastic scattering of holes by acoustic phonons in thin GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells

The rates of scattering by acoustic phonons _γi→j${\gamma }_{i\to j}$ from subband i→j$i\to j$ are calculated for holes in a narrow GaAs quantum well using the deformation potential, the Luttinger hamiltonian and the Debye approximation. At room temperature, we find that the energy dependences for both intra- and inter-subband scattering rates follow roughly the behavior of the density of states in the subband to which the hole scatters. Moreover, we study the influence of the overlap between the initial and final states, and for elastic processes we find that, unlike for the case of wide quantum wells, for narrow ones integration over the phonon transverse wavevector _qz$q_z$ should be restricted to about 4% of the bulk Brillouin zone extent. In addition the impact of the well width on _γi→j${\gamma }_{i\to j}$ is investigated.     

Influence of acoustic phonons on dephasing of free excitons in quantum wells

A theory of the dephasing rate of quasi-2D free excitons due to acoustic phonon interaction at low exciton densities is presented. Both deformation potential and piezoelectric couplings are considered for the exciton–phonon interaction in quantum wells. Using the derived interaction Hamiltonian obtained recently by us, exciton linewidth and dephasing rate are calculated as a function of the exciton density, exciton temperature, exciton momentum and lattice temperature.     

Inelastic light scattering by acoustic phonons in quantum dots and quantum films

The Raman scattering spectra were analyzed in order to find and explain similarities and differences in the interaction between electrons and acoustic phonons in quantum dots and quantum films.     

IR absorption by free charge carriers with the participation of optical phonons in structures with quantum wells

The absorption of light by free charge carriers with the participation of surface and bulk optical phonons is considered in terms of the Boltzmann statistics and Pekar-Fröhlich Hamiltonian for the electron-photon interaction in a polar semiconductor layer within the framework of the model of a rectangular quantum well. It is found that the contributions of the surface and bulk modes to the probability of light absorption depend on the quantum-well width. It is demonstrated that the line of the photon-phonon resonance has a complex structure due to the difference between the frequencies of the bulk and surface optical vibrations. The influence of the adjacent media on the coefficient of light absorption is investigated.     

Terahertz electromagnetic radiation from quantum wells

The observation of terahertz electromagnetic dipole radiation from quantum well structures has finally proven the existence of charge oscillations in semiconductors associated with wave packet dynamics. This article closely examines the physics behind the emission of terahertz electromagnetic radiation from excitonic charge oscillations in such quantum well structures, points out similarities and differences between the various generation schemes, and discusses the various relaxation mechanisms involved. Finally, we show how both amplitude and phase of charge oscillations and the corresponding terahertz emission can be manipulated using phase-locked optical pulses.     

Birefringence and absorption of light during intersubband transitions of hot electrons in quantum wells

The changes in the birefringence and absorption of infrared radiation accompanying direct electron transitions induced between size-quantization subbands in a GaAs/AlGaAs system of doped quantum wells by heating of the electrons by an electric field applied parallel to the layers of the heterostructure are observed and investigated. An explanation of the observed effects is offered whereing the change in the absorption spectrum and the contribution of free electrons to the permittivity are related to the exchange interaction and nonparabolicity of the energy spectrum of the hot electrons. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 7, 525–530 (10 April 1997)     

Propagation of electrons in coupled quantum wells

Summary We study propagation of an electron wave in a double-quantum-well structure formed by alternate layers of GaAlAs and GaAs. In such a structure, electron states parallel to the layers are described by 2D plane waves and in the perpendicular direction by the bound states of the confining potential. We show that an electron, initially introduced in one well, will execute oscillations between the two wells of the structure. Although the frequency of oscillations depends primarily on the distance separating the wells and the confining potential, it is shown in this paper that the frequency also depends on the effective mass of the electron, if it is different within and outside the well. Expressions are derived for the frequency of oscillations, taking into account the difference in the effective mass of the electron.     

Two-dimensional electrons in spirally rolled-up quantum wells

An effective Hamiltonian is obtained to describe the motion of a one-dimensional quantum particle along an arbitrary plane curve. Calculations are made of the energy levels and the polarization dependence of the electromagnetic wave absorption in a spirally rolled-up quantum well.     

Effective interaction of electrons in quantum wells

Effects of electron-phonon interaction on the interaction between electrons in semiconductor quantum wells are considered. It is found that the direct Coulomb potential between electrons in a quantum well is smaller than that in bulk semicondutors. The antisymmetric modes of the confined bulk phonons and interface phonons have no contribution to the effective interaction of electrons. If a well is narrow enough, the effective interaction between electrons caused by interaction with interface phonons may exceed that by interaction with confined bulk phonons. In narrower wells the effective interaction potential of electrons produced by phonons is stronger, but decreases rapidly with increasing distance between electrons.     

Flexural phonons in free-standing graphene

Rotation and reflection symmetries impose that out-of-plane (flexural) phonons of freestanding graphene membranes have a quadratic dispersion at long wavelength and can be excited by charge carriers in pairs only. As a result, we find that flexural phonons dominate the phonon contribution to the resistivity rho below a crossover temperature T(x) where we obtain an anomalous temperature dependence rho proportional, variantT(5/2)lnT. The logarithmic factor arises from renormalizations of the flexural-phonon dispersion due to coupling between bending and stretching degrees of freedom of the membrane.     

Magnetopolaron states involving confined phonons in a semiconductor quantum well

Energy splitting ΔE _res in double magnetopolaron energy spectrum in rectangular quantum wells as functions of the well width d have been calculated. We have considered in the capacity of interaction leading to resonant coupling between electrons and phonons the interaction with confined phonons and (for comparison) with bulk LO phonons. We have obtained the conditions when the interaction with bulk phonons yields correct results. Calculations for AlAs/GaAs/AlAs and AlSb/InSb/AlSb structures have been performed. Alongside the parameter ΔE _res for a polaron, whose resonant magnetic field is determined by the condition Ω=ω _L1, where Ω is the cyclotron frequency and ω _L1 is the LO phonon frequency in the quantum well (A-polaron), we have calculated ΔE _res for D-(Ω=2ω _L1) and F-polarons (Ω=3ω _L1), which is a factor of $\sqrt 2 $ and $\sqrt 3 $ , respectively, smaller than ΔE _res for the A-polaron. Since the splitting ΔE _res for the A-polaron is very large (up to 0.2?ω _L1), it is more convenient to study in experiments D-and F-polarons since their resonant magnetic fields are lower. We have predicted existence of “weak” magnetopolarons, in which the splitting is proportional to a higher power of Frölich’s coupling constant α than α ^1/2.     

Magnetotunneling relaxation of electrons in double quantum wells

Electron tunneling relaxation in double quantum wells subject to a transverse magnetic field is studied. The resonant peaks in the tunneling relaxation rate appear when the energy splitting Δ of the tunnel-coupled pair of the left- and right- well electron states is a multiple of the cyclotron energy ℏω_c and two series of the Landau levels coincide. The shape of such resonant oscillations of the relaxation rate is determined by the Landau levels' broadening (which is associated with the intrawell scattering in the case of small tunnel coupling), but it is not expressed through the electron density of states directly. The dependence of the tunneling relaxation rate on ℏω_c and Δ is calculated taking into account elastic scattering of the electrons by the inhomogeneities of the structure in the limit when the scattering potential is slowly changing on the magnetic length scale.     

Magnetoexciton absorption in coupled quantum wells

A Mott exciton in coupled quantum wells in a transverse magnetic field H is considered. An expression for the exciton spectrum in an arbitrary magnetic field for large separations D between quantum wells containing an electron (e) and a hole (h) is given. The exciton spectrum in a strong magnetic field for different Landau levels at arbitrary D has been calculated. Changes in the parameter D/l, where is the magnetic length, cause rearrangement of the magnetoexciton dispersion curves ℰ(P), where P is the conserved “magnetic” momentum, which is a function of the separation between the electron and hole in the plane of the quantum wells. Off-center (“roton”) extrema occur only for D/l,<(D/l)_cr, where (D/l)_cr is a function of the exciton quantum numbers n and m. The magnetoexciton effective mass in states with magnetic quantum number m=0 monotonically increases with H and D, while in states with m≠0 it is a nonmonotonic function of D/l. The probability of generating an exciton in coupled quantum wells increases with H. Absorption of electromagnetic radiation due to transitions between excitonic levels in coupled quantum wells is discussed. For an exciton containing a heavy hole the oscillator strengths increase with H and the oscillator strengths decrease. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1791–1808 (November 1997)     

Magnetotunneling absorption in double quantum wells

Tunneling absorption is calculated in weakly-coupled n-type asymmetric double quantum wells in an in-plane magnetic field using a linear response theory. Tunneling absorption of photons occurs between the ground sublevels of the quantum wells. We show that the absorption threshold, the resonance energy of absorption, and the linewidth depend sensitively on the magnetic field and the temperature.