31 research outputs found
Observation of intrinsic inverse spin Hall effect
We report observation of intrinsic inverse spin Hall effect in un-doped GaAs
multiple quantum wells with a sample temperature of 10 K. A transient ballistic
pure spin current is injected by a pair of laser pulses through quantum
interference. By time-resolving the dynamics of the pure spin current, the
momentum relaxation time is deduced, which sets the lower limit of the
scattering time between electrons and holes. The transverse charge current
generated by the pure spin current via the inverse spin Hall effect is
simultaneously resolved. We find that the charge current is generated well
before the first electron-hole scattering event. Generation of the transverse
current in the scattering-free ballistic transport regime provides unambiguous
evidence for the intrinsic inverse spin Hall effect.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Exciton diffusion in semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes studied by transient absorption microscopy
Spatiotemporal dynamics of excitons in isolated semiconducting single-walled
carbon nanotubes are studied using transient absorption microscopy.
Differential reflection and transmission of an 810-nm probe pulse after
excitation by a 750-nm pump pulse are measured. We observe a bi-exponentially
decaying signal with a fast time constant of 0.66 ps and a slower time constant
of 2.8 ps. Both constants are independent of the pump fluence. By spatially and
temporally resolving the differential reflection, we are able to observe a
diffusion of excitons, and measure a diffusion coefficient of 200 cm2/s at room
temperature and 300 cm2/s at lower temperatures of 10 K and 150 K.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Two-probe study of hot carriers in reduced graphene oxide
The energy relaxation of carriers in reduced graphene oxide thin films is
studied using optical pump-probe spectroscopy with two probes of different
colors. We measure the time difference between peaks of the carrier density at
each probing energy by measuring a time-resolved differential transmission and
find that the carrier density at the lower probing energy peaks later than that
at the higher probing energy. Also, we find that the peak time for the lower
probing energy shifts from about 92 to 37 fs after the higher probing energy
peak as the carrier density is increased from 1.5E12 to 3E13 per square
centimeter, while no noticeable shift is observed in that for the higher
probing energy. Assuming the carriers rapidly thermalize after excitation, this
indicates that the optical phonon emission time decreases from about 50 to
about 20 fs and the energy relaxation rate increases from 4 to 10 meV/fs. The
observed density dependence is inconsistent with the phonon bottleneck effect.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
All-optical generation and detection of sub-picosecond ac spin current pulses in GaAs
Sub-picosecond ac spin current pulses are generated optically in GaAs bulk
and quantum wells at room temperature and 90K through quantum interference
between one-photon and two-photon absorptions driven by two phase-locked
ultrafast laser pulses that are both circularly polarized. The dynamics of the
current pulses are detected optically by monitoring in real time and real space
nanoscale motion of electrons with high-resolution pump-probe techniques.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Femtosecond Pump-Probe Studies of Reduced Graphene Oxide Thin Films
The dynamics of photocarriers in reduced graphene oxide thin films is studied
by using ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. Time dependent differential
transmissions are measured with sample temperatures ranging from 9 to 300 K. At
each sample temperature and probe delay, the sign of differential transmission
remains positive. A fast energy relaxation of hot carriers is observed, and is
found to be independent of sample temperature. Our experiments show that the
carrier dynamics in reduced graphene oxide is similar to other types of
graphene, and that the differential transmission is caused by phase-state
filling of carriers.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Spatially resolved pump-probe study of single-layer graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition
Carrier dynamics in single-layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition
(CVD) is studied using spatially and temporally resolved pump-probe
spectroscopy by measuring both differential transmission and differential
reflection. By studying the expansion of a Gaussian spatial profile of carriers
excited by a 1500-nm pump pulse with a 1761-nm probe pulse, we observe a
diffusion of hot carriers of 5500 square centimeter per second. We also observe
that the expansion of the carrier density profile decreases to a slow rate
within 1 ps, which is unexpected. Furthermore, by using an 810-nm probe pulse
we observe that both the differential transmission and reflection change signs,
but also that this sign change can be permanently removed by exposure of the
graphene to femtosecond laser pulses of relatively high fluence. This indicates
that the differential transmission and reflection at later times may not be
directly caused by carriers, but may be from some residue material from the
sample fabrication or transfer process.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Spatially resolved femtosecond pump-probe study of topological insulator Bi2Se3
Carrier and phonon dynamics in Bi2Se3 crystals are studied by a spatially
resolved ultrafast pump-probe technique. Pronounced oscillations in
differential reflection are observed with two distinct frequencies, and are
attributed to coherent optical and acoustic phonons, respectively. The rising
time of the signal indicates that the thermalization and energy relaxation of
hot carriers are both sub-ps in this material. We found that the thermalization
and relaxation time decreases with the carrier density. The expansion of the
differential reflection profile allows us to estimate an ambipolar carrier
diffusion coefficient on the order of 500 square centimeters per second. A
long-term slow expansion of the profile shows a thermal diffusion coefficient
of 1.2 square centimeters per second.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Power dependence of pure spin current injection by quantum interference
We investigate the power dependence of pure spin current injection in GaAs
bulk and quantum-well samples by a quantum interference and control technique.
Spin separation is measured as a function of the relative strength of the two
transition pathways driven by two laser pulses. By keeping the relaxation time
of the current unchanged, we are able to relate the spin separation to the
injected average velocity. We find that the average velocity is determined by
the relative strength of the two transitions in the same way as in classical
interference. Based on this, we conclude that the density of injected pure spin
current increases monotonically with the excitation laser intensities. The
experimental results are consistent with theoretical calculations based on
Fermi's golden rule.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Hot carrier diffusion in graphene
We report an optical study of charge transport in graphene. Diffusion of hot
carriers in epitaxial graphene and reduced graphene oxide samples are studied
using an ultrafast pump-probe technique with a high spatial resolution.
Spatiotemporal dynamics of hot carriers after a point-like excitation are
monitored. Carrier diffusion coefficients of 11,000 and 5,500 squared
centimeters per second are measured in epitaxial graphene and reduced graphene
oxide samples, respectively, with a carrier temperature on the order of 3,600
K. The demonstrated optical techniques can be used for non-contact and
non-invasive in-situ detection of transport properties of graphene.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure