153 research outputs found
Wannier-Stark resonances in optical and semiconductor superlattices
In this work, we discuss the resonance states of a quantum particle in a
periodic potential plus a static force. Originally this problem was formulated
for a crystal electron subject to a static electric field and it is nowadays
known as the Wannier-Stark problem. We describe a novel approach to the
Wannier-Stark problem developed in recent years. This approach allows to
compute the complex energy spectrum of a Wannier-Stark system as the poles of a
rigorously constructed scattering matrix and solves the Wannier-Stark problem
without any approximation. The suggested method is very efficient from the
numerical point of view and has proven to be a powerful analytic tool for
Wannier-Stark resonances appearing in different physical systems such as
optical lattices or semiconductor superlattices.Comment: 94 pages, 41 figures, typos corrected, references adde
Absorption and wavepackets in optically excited semiconductor superlattices driven by dc-ac fields
Within the one-dimensional tight-binding minibands and on-site
Coloumbic interaction approximation, the absorption spectrum and coherent
wavepacket time evolution in an optically excited semiconductor superlattice
driven by dc-ac electric fields are investigated using the semiconductor Bloch
equations.
The dominating roles of the ratios of dc-Stark to external ac frequency, as
well as ac-Stark to external ac frequency, is emphasized. If the former is an
integer , then also harmonics are present within one Stark
frequency, while the fractional case leads to the formation of excitonic
fractional ladders. The later ratio determines the size and profile of the
wavepacket. In the absence of excitonic interaction it controls the maximum
size wavepackets reach within one cycle, while the interaction produces a
strong anisotropy and tends to palliate the dynamic wavepacket localization.Comment: 14 pages, 7 postscript figure
Engineering the Floquet spectrum of superconducting multiterminal quantum dots
Here we present a theoretical investigation of the Floquet spectrum in
multiterminal quantum dot Josephson junctions biased with commensurate
voltages. We first draw an analogy between the electronic band theory and
superconductivity which enlightens the time-periodic dynamics of the Andreev
bound states. We then show that the equivalent of the Wannier-Stark ladders
observed in semiconducting superlattices via photocurrent measurements, appears
as specific peaks in the finite frequency current fluctuations of
superconducting multiterminal quantum dots. In order to probe the
Floquet-Wannier-Stark ladder spectra, we have developed an analytical model
relying on the sharpness of the resonances. The charge-charge correlation
function is obtained as a factorized form of the Floquet wave-function on the
dot and the superconducting reservoir populations. We confirm these findings by
Keldysh Green's function calculations, in particular regarding the voltage and
frequency dependence of the resonance peaks in the current-current
correlations. Our results open up a road-map to quantum correlations and
coherence in the Floquet dynamics of superconducting devices.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, Supplemental Material as ancillary file (7
pages), revised manuscript, Physical Review Editors' suggestio
Coherent phenomena in semiconductors
A review of coherent phenomena in photoexcited semiconductors is presented.
In particular, two classes of phenomena are considered: On the one hand the
role played by optically-induced phase coherence in the ultrafast spectroscopy
of semiconductors; On the other hand the Coulomb-induced effects on the
coherent optical response of low-dimensional structures.
All the phenomena discussed in the paper are analyzed in terms of a
theoretical framework based on the density-matrix formalism. Due to its
generality, this quantum-kinetic approach allows a realistic description of
coherent as well as incoherent, i.e. phase-breaking, processes, thus providing
quantitative information on the coupled ---coherent vs. incoherent--- carrier
dynamics in photoexcited semiconductors.
The primary goal of the paper is to discuss the concept of quantum-mechanical
phase coherence as well as its relevance and implications on semiconductor
physics and technology. In particular, we will discuss the dominant role played
by optically induced phase coherence on the process of carrier photogeneration
and relaxation in bulk systems. We will then review typical field-induced
coherent phenomena in semiconductor superlattices such as Bloch oscillations
and Wannier-Stark localization. Finally, we will discuss the dominant role
played by Coulomb correlation on the linear and non-linear optical spectra of
realistic quantum-wire structures.Comment: Topical review in Semiconductor Science and Technology (in press)
(Some of the figures are not available in electronic form
Delocalization of Wannier-Stark ladders by phonons: tunneling and stretched polarons
We study the coherent dynamics of a Holstein polaron in strong electric
fields. A detailed analytical and numerical analysis shows that even for small
hopping constant and weak electron-phonon interaction, polaron states can
become delocalized if a resonance condition develops between the original
Wannier-Stark states and the phonon modes, yielding both tunneling and
`stretched' polarons. The unusual stretched polarons are characterized by a
phonon cloud that {\em trails} the electron, instead of accompanying it. In
general, our novel approach allows us to show that the polaron spectrum has a
complex nearly-fractal structure, due to the coherent coupling between states
in the Cayley tree which describes the relevant Hilbert space. The eigenstates
of a finite ladder are analyzed in terms of the observable tunneling and
optical properties of the system.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Stationary states of an electron in periodic structures in a constant uniform electrical field
On the basis of the transfer matrix technique an analytical method to
investigate the stationary states, for an electron in one-dimensional periodic
structures in an external electrical field, displaying the symmetry of the
problem is developed. These solutions are shown to be current-carrying. It is
also shown that the electron spectrum for infinite structures is continuous,
and the corresponding wave functions do not satisfy the symmetry condition of
the problem.Comment: 10 pages (Latex), no figures, in the revised variant some mistakes in
the English text are corrected and also the first two paragraphs in the
Conclusion are refined (Siberian physical-technical institute at the Tomsk
state university, Tomsk, Russia
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