T-matrix analysis of biexcitonic correlations in the nonlinear optical response of semiconductor quantum wells

A detailed numerical analysis of exciton-exciton interactions in semiconductor quantum wells is presented. The theory is based on the dynamics-controlled truncation formalism and evaluated for the case of resonant excitation of 1s-heavy-hole excitons. It is formulated in terms of standard concepts of scattering theory, such as the forward-scattering amplitude (or T-matrix). The numerical diagonalization of the exciton-exciton interaction matrix in the 1s-approximation yields the excitonic T-matrix. We discuss the role of the direct and exchange interaction in the effective two-exciton Hamiltonian, which determines the T-matrix, evaluated within the 1s-subspace, and also analyze the effects of the excitonic wave function overlap matrix. Inclusion of the latter is shown to effectively prevent the 1s-approximation from making the Hamiltonian non-hermitian, but a critical discussion shows that other artefacts may be avoided by not including the overlap matrix. We also present a detailed analysis of the correspondence between the excitonic T-matrix in the 1s-approximation and the well-known T-matrix governing two-particle interactions in two dimensional systems via short-range potentials. Received 3 August 2001 and Received in final form 26 December 2001     

Ab initio study of the Fe intra- and inter-layer magnetic order in Fe/Ir(001) superlattices

We reconsider the semiconductor trions from scratch. We first determine the very many “reasonable” ways to write the trions in first quantization. We then select the forms which are easy to relate to physical pictures. In a second part, we derive the corresponding creation operators in second quantization. We pay particular attention to the expression of the X^- trion in terms of exciton and free-electron, as it is the one adapted to future works on many-body effects with trions. Received 27 May 2002 / Received in final form 18 December 2002 Published online 20 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: combescot@gps.jussieu.fr     

Density expansion of the energy of N close-to-boson excitons

Pauli exclusion between the carriers of N excitons induces novel many-body effects, quite different from the ones generated by Coulomb interaction. Using our commutation technique for interacting close-to-boson particles, we here calculate the Hamiltonian expectation value in the N-ground-state-exciton state. Coulomb interaction enters this quantity at first order only by construction; nevertheless, due to Pauli exclusion, subtle many-body effects take place, which give rise to terms in (Na _x ³/)ⁿ with n ≥ 2. An exact procedure to get these density dependent terms is given. Received 11 February 2002 / Received in final form 30 May 2002 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: combescot@gps.jussieu.fr     

Variational calculations of ionized-donor-bound excitons in GaAs-Al x Ga 1 - x As quantum wells

Using a two-parameter wave function, we calculate variationally the binding energy of an exciton bound to an ionized donor impurity (D^+,X) in GaAs-Al_xGa_1-xAs quantum wells for the values of the well width from 10 to 300 ?, when the dopant is located in the center of the well and at the edge of the well. The theoretical results confirm that the previous experimental speculation proposed by Reynolds et al. [Phys. Rev. B 40, 6210 (1989)] is the binding energy of D^+,X for the dopant at the edge of the well. In addition, we also calculate the center-of-mass wave function of the exciton and the average interparticle distances. The results are discussed in detail. Received 17 July 2000 and Received in final form 13 November 2000     

Electromagnetically induced transparency in asymmetric double quantum wells

We show how to compute nonlinear optical absorption spectra of an Asymmetric Double Quantum Well (ADQW) in the region of intersubband electronic transitions. The method uses the microscopic calculation of the dephasing due to electron-electron and electron-phonon scattering rates and the macroscopic real density matrix approach to compute the electromagnetic fields and susceptibilities. The polarization dephasing and the corrections to the Rabi frequencies due to the electron-electron interaction are also taken into account. For a proper choice of the QW widths and of the driving fields we obtain electromagnetically induced transparency. This transparency has a very narrow linewidth when a single driving field is applied resonant to the transition between the second and the third subband. In the case of two resonant driving fields or of a driving field resonant between the first and third subband we obtain a large transparency enhancement over the entire absorption spectrum. Results are given for GaAs/GaAlAs QWs and experiments are proposed. Received 21 June 2001 and Received in final form 21 January 2002     

Polaron effects on excitons in parabolic quantum wells: fractional-dimension variational approach

Polaron effects on excitons in parabolic quantum wells are studied theoretically by using a variational approach with the so-called fractional dimension model. The numerical results for the exciton binding energies and longitudinal-optical phonon contributions in GaAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As parabolic quantum well structures are obtained as functions of the well width. It is shown that the exciton binding energies are obviously reduced by the electron (hole)-phonon interaction and the polaron effects are un-negligible. The results demonstrate that the fractional-dimension variational theory is effectual in the investigations of excitonic polaron problems in parabolic quantum wells.     

Exciton-polariton solitary waves

Effects of the exciton and polariton dispersions and the nonlinear exciton and photon interactions on the properties of polariton solitons in molecular crystals are investigated. Higher-order terms and phase-modulation (chirp) are taken into account. Bright- and dark-soliton solutions of the resulting modified nonlinear Schr?dinger (NLS) equation are presented. Nonlinearity- and dispersion-induced critical points on the polariton dispersion curve are obtained, separating regions with different solutions. Received 2 October 2001 / Received in final form 23 May 2002 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: Stoychev@issp.bas.bg     

Comparison study of energy bands and Wannier-Mott excitons in mixed Zn(P As ) and Zn Cd P crystals

Excitonic absorption, reflection and photoluminescence spectra of mixed Zn(P_1-xAs_x)₂ crystals over the full range of x ( 0 ? x ? 1) and Zn_1-xCd_xP₂ crystals at 0 ? x ? 0.05 have been studied at low temperatures (1.8 K). The decrease of the energy gap in Zn(P_1-xAs_x)₂ at the increase of x occurs slightly sublinearly. The rydbergs of excitonic series in this crystals decrease as well, and the dependences Ry ( x ) for all series are strongly superlinear at small x. In Zn_1-xCd_xP₂ crystals the energy gap and rydbergs decrease at the increase of x (at 0 ? x ? 0.05) as well. The dependences of E_g and Ry on x are considerably stronger in Zn(P_1-xAs_x)₂ than in Zn_1-xCd_xP₂. At the increase of x the half-width of excitonic absorption lines increases monotonically in both type crystals that is evidence of the increasing role of fluctuations of crystal potential. Received 13 March 2002 Published online 9 July 2002     

Anisotropic dynamic response of pentacene single crystals

We have investigated the polarization and momentum dependence of singlet excitons in pentacene molecular crystals using inelastic electron scattering. Our results demonstrate that both the direction as well as the absolute value of the momentum are decisive for the spectral intensity of these excitons. Possible implications of this observation for a microscopic understanding of excitons in organic molecular crystals are discussed.     

The negatively charged exciton in double-layer quantum dots

The hyperangular equation for charged semiconductor complexes in a double-layer harmonic quantum dot was solved numerically by using the correlated hyperspherical harmonics as basis functions. By using this method, we have calculated the energy spectra of the low-lying states of a charged exciton as a function of the radius of the quantum dot and the binding energy spectra of the ground state as a function of the radius of the quantum dot for a few values of the distance between the vertically coupled dots and the electron-to-hole mass ratio. Received 3 December 1999     

Carrier scattering by Auger mechanism in a single quantum wire

We report on time-resolved microphotoluminescence experiments in a single GaAs/GaAlAs V-shaped quantum wire as a function of optical excitation intensity. At low pump power we observe that excitons are localized in quantum boxes formed by the local potential minima existing along the wire axis. As the pump power is increased, state filling of the lowest lying levels of the boxes appears. When two carriers occupy the first excited level of the box, a very efficient Auger scattering occurs, leading to a transfer of carriers from one box to another neighbouring one. The intradot Auger scattering time has been measured and is of the same order of magnitude as the LA-phonon emission rate. Received 5 February 2001     

Influence of the core polarization on the dielectric properties of polyvalent metals

We have measured the dispersion of plasmon excitations in polycrystalline Sn, Pb, Cd and Zn using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in transmission. These metals show a remarkable deviation of their plasmon behaviour from standard theoretical expectations which can be attributed to the presence of shallow core levels in the energetic neighborhood of the plasmon energy. The position of the plasmon resonance in the long wavelength limit is in line with predictions from model assumptions taking into account the core level polarization effects. We show that not only the plasmon energy in the optical limit but also the plasmon dispersion is altered by the interaction of the charge carrier plasmon and the core level excitations. Received: 15 June 1998 / Revised and Accepted: 9 July 1998     

Optical investigations of GaAs/Ga1−x Al x As Quantum wells grown by molecular-beam epitaxy

Summary Measurements of photoluminescence, excitation photoluminescence and reflectance are performed at various temperatures on a series of GaAs/Ga_1−x Al _x As quantum well structures grown by molecularbeam epitaxy. The selective photoluminescence data of the GaAs buffer layers are analysed in order to correlate the optical properties with the growth conditions. The Stokes shift of the excitation emission line from quantum wells is investigated under various excitation conditions. A considerable decrease of the Stokes shift is observed in the case of nonresonant and intense excitations. Also the extrinsic photoluminescence, as well as its temperature dependence, are interpreted. In addition, the temperature effects on both the bulk and quantum well spectra are shown to clarify the excitation features and the contribution of the interband transitions. To speed up publication, the authors of this paper has agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

Phase sensitive spectroscopy of the polariton modes in a ZnSe-ZnSxSe1−x heterostructure

Applying the method of spectral interferometry we investigate the phase of reflected light at a ZnSe-ZnS_xSe_1−x heterostructure. We find a series of polariton modes propagating through the ZnSe layer. They can be related to the different polariton branches split of at the heavy- and light-hole excitons. The phase shows pronounced changes around these modes. The strongest changes by 2π appear at the modes of lowest order located weakly above the exciton resonances, while they are smaller for higher modes. Our experimental findings can be explained considering spatial dispersion, Pekar's additional boundary conditions and a weak extension of the excitonic polarization into the ZnS_xSe_1−x cladding layers.     

Interface phonon assisted transition in double quantum well

A detailed calculation of interface phonon assisted electron intersubband transition in double GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well structure is presented. Our calculation concentrates on the lowest two subbands which can be designed to be in resonance with a given interface phonon mode. Various phonon mode profiles display quasi-symmetric or quasi-antisymmetric shapes. The quasi-antisymmetric phonon modes give rise to much larger transition rates than those assisted by quasi-symmetric ones. The transition rate reaches a maximum when the subband separation coincides with a given phonon mode energy. The calculation procedure presented here can be easily applied to the design and simulation of other low dimensional semiconductor structures, such as quantum cascade lasers. Received 22 December 2002 Published online 23 May 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: bhwu@263.net     

Lateral carrier tunnelling in stacked In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum rings

Exciton recombination dynamics in vertical stacks of InGaAs quantum rings have been studied by means of continuous wave and time resolved photoluminescence under low excitation density conditions. We have paid special attention to the effect of the carrier coupling on the exciton radiative lifetime: weak (14 nm spacer sample), intermediate (4.5 nm spacer sample), where the size filtering effects (towards small rings) compensate partially that arising from carrier coupling (towards lower energies), and strong electron and hole coupling (1.5 nm spacer sample) between layers. Experimental decay times in the latter two cases have been compared to the times simulated with a multi-quantum well based model, which accounts for the observed change of carrier coupling regime. The most important effect is observed when the hole wave function overlap along the growth direction becomes important (1.5 nm spacer sample). This situation makes important the lateral tunneling of excitons between rings, given their large lateral size, which is characterized by times around 5 ns at the emission peak energy (rings with the most probable size of the distribution).     

Triplet-triplet interaction in a nearly one dimensional molecular crystal: Application to 1,4-dibromonaphtalene

The effect of a magnetic field (6 kG) on the delayed fluorescence in a 1,4-Dibromonaphtalene at 300 K and 20 K is analysed using a new approach of calculation of the triplet-triplet annihilation rate constant. The agreement of the best fit between experiment and theory allows reaching at 300 K and 20 K respectively the lifetimes and the interaction constant of the triplets pairs. Received 12 March 1999 and Received in final form 27 April 2000     

Spin-orbit coupling and crystal-field splitting in the electronic and optical properties of nitride quantum dots with a wurtzite crystal structure

We present an sp ³ tight-binding model for the calculation of the electronic and optical properties of wurtzite semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). The tight-binding model takes into account strain, piezoelectricity, spin-orbit coupling and crystal-field splitting. Excitonic absorption spectra are calculated using the configuration interaction scheme. We study the electronic and optical properties of InN/GaN QDs and their dependence on structural properties, crystal-field splitting, and spin-orbit coupling.     

Anomalous dephasing of bosonic excitons interacting with phonons in the vicinity of the Bose-Einstein condensation

The dephasing and relaxation kinetics of bosonic excitons interacting with a thermal bath of acoustic phonons is studied after coherent pulse excitation. The kinetics of the induced excitonic polarization is calculated within Markovian equations both for subcritical and supercritical excitation with respect to a Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC). For excited densities n below the critical density , an exponential polarization decay is obtained, which is characterized by a dephasing rate . This dephasing rate due to phonon scattering shows a pronounced exciton-density dependence in the vicinity of the phase transition. It is well described by the power law that can be understood by linearization of the equations around the equilibrium solution. Above the critical density we get a non-exponential relaxation to the final condensate value p⁰ with that holds for all densities. Furthermore we include the full self-consistent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) terms due to the exciton-exciton interaction and the kinetics of the anomalous functions . The collision terms are analyzed and an approximation is used which is consistent with the existence of BEC. The inclusion of the coherent exciton-exciton interaction does not change the dephasing laws. The anomalous function F_k exhibits a clear threshold behaviour at the critical density. Received 13 December 1999     

Bragg quantum wells in weak confinement regime

The optical properties of Bragg quantum wells are studied for exciton confinement under center-of-mass quantization. A variational model of Wannier exciton envelope function, that embodies the correct boundary conditions for center-of-mass, is adopted for calculation. The present non-adiabatic exciton model is compared with adiabatic results and with heuristic “hard sphere” model. The radiative self-energy of a single-quantum well (SQW) and multi-quantum wells (MQWs) are computed in the semiclassical framework, and in effective mass approximation, by self-consistent solution of Schroedinger and Maxwell equations. This microscopic solution is free from “fitting” parameter values, except for the non-radiative broadening, and also the exciton dead-layer and the additional boundary condition are not taken ad hoc, but come coherently from the variational principle and self-consistent Schroedinger-Maxwell solution. Dispersion curves of exciton-polariton propagating in a MQW, under Bragg condition, are studied by selected numerical examples. The case of optical gap in correspondence of higher excited states is studied, and, moreover, the interesting effect of gap enhancement or inhibition, in correspondence of non-resonant Bragg energy, will be addressed.