Theory of transient spectroscopy of multiple quantum well structures

A theory of the transient spectroscopy of quantum well (QW) structures under a large applied bias is presented. An analytical model of the initial part of the transient current is proposed. The time constant of the transient current depends not only on the emission rate from the QWs, as is usually assumed, but also on the subsequent carrier transport across QWs. Numerical simulation was used to confirm the validity of the proposed model, and to study the transient current on a larger time scale. It is shown that the transient current is influenced by the nonuniform distribution of the electric field and related effects, which results in a step-like behavior of the current. A procedure of extraction of the QW emission time from the transient spectroscopy experiments is suggested.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in J. Appl. Phy

Plasma mechanisms of resonant terahertz detection in two-dimensional electron channel with split gates

We analyze the operation of a resonant detector of terahertz (THz) radiation based on a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel with split gates. The side gates are used for the excitation of plasma oscillations by incoming THz radiation and control of the resonant plasma frequencies. The central gate provides the potential barrier separating the source and drain portions of the 2DEG channel. Two possible mechanisms of the detection are considered: (1) modulation of the ac potential drop across the barrier and (2) heating of the 2DEG due to the resonant plasma-assisted absorption of THz radiation followed by an increase in thermionic dc current through the barrier. Using the device model we calculate the frequency and temperature dependences of the detector responsivity associated with both dynamic and heating (bolometric) mechanisms. It is shown that the dynamic mechanisms dominates at elevated temperatures, whereas the heating mechanism provides larger contribution at low temperatures, T=35-40 K.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Electronic states in heterostructures formed by ultranarrow layers

Low-energy electronic states in heterosrtuctures formed by ultranarrow layer (single or several monolayers thickness) are studied theoretically. The host material is described within the effective mass approximation and effect of ultranarrow layers is taken into account within the framework of the transfer matrix approach. Using the current conservation requirement and the inversion symmetry of ultranarrow layer, the transfer matrix is written through two phenomenological parameters. The binding energy of localized state, the reflection (transmission) coefficient for the single ultranarrow layer case, and the energy spectrum of superlattice are determined by these parameters. Spectral dependency of absorption in superlattice due to photoexcitation of electrons from localized states into minibands is strongly dependent on the ultranarrow layers characteristics. Such a dependency can be used for verification of the transfer matrix parameters.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Gain in quantum cascade lasers and superlattices: A quantum transport theory

Gain in current-driven semiconductor heterostructure devices is calculated within the theory of nonequilibrium Green functions. In order to treat the nonequilibrium distribution self-consistently the full two-time structure of the theory is employed without relying on any sort of Kadanoff-Baym Ansatz. The results are independent of the choice of the electromagnetic field if the variation of the self-energy is taken into account. Excellent quantitative agreement is obtained with the experimental gain spectrum of a quantum cascade laser. Calculations for semiconductor superlattices show that the simple 2-time miniband transport model gives reliable results for large miniband widths at room temperatureComment: 8 Pages, 4 Figures directly included, to appear in Physical Review

Bifurcations and chaos in semiconductor superlattices with a tilted magnetic field

We study the effects of dissipation on electron transport in a semiconductor superlattice with an applied bias voltage and a magnetic field that is tilted relative to the superlattice axis.In previous work, we showed that although the applied fields are stationary,they act like a THz plane wave, which strongly couples the Bloch and cyclotron motion of electrons within the lowest miniband. As a consequence,the electrons exhibit a unique type of Hamiltonian chaos, which creates an intricate mesh of conduction channels (a stochastic web) in phase space, leading to a large resonant increase in the current flow at critical values of the applied voltage. This phase-space patterning provides a sensitive mechanism for controlling electrical resistance. In this paper, we investigate the effects of dissipation on the electron dynamics by modifying the semiclassical equations of motion to include a linear damping term. We demonstrate that even in the presence of dissipation,deterministic chaos plays an important role in the electron transport process. We identify mechanisms for the onset of chaos and explore the associated sequence of bifurcations in the electron trajectories. When the Bloch and cyclotron frequencies are commensurate, complex multistability phenomena occur in the system. In particular, for fixed values of the control parameters several distinct stable regimes can coexist, each corresponding to different initial conditions. We show that this multistability has clear, experimentally-observable, signatures in the electron transport characteristics.Comment: 14 pages 11 figure

Transmission of a Symmetric Light Pulse through a Wide QW

The reflection, transmission and absorption of a symmetric electromagnetic pulse, which carrying frequency is close to the frequency of an interband transition in a QW (QW), are obtained. The energy levels of a QW are assumed discrete, one exited level is taken into account. The case of a wide QW is considered when a length of the pulse wave, appropriate to the carrying frequency, is comparable to the QW's width. In figures the time dependencies of the dimensionless reflection, absorption are transmission are represented. It is shown, that the spatial dispersion and a distinction in refraction indexes influence stronger reflection.Comment: 8 pages,8 figures with caption

Theory of Transmission through disordered superlattices

We derive a theory for transmission through disordered finite superlattices in which the interface roughness scattering is treated by disorder averaging. This procedure permits efficient calculation of the transmission thr ough samples with large cross-sections. These calculations can be performed utilizing either the Keldysh or the Landauer-B\"uttiker transmission formalisms, both of which yield identical equations. For energies close to the lowest miniband, we demonstrate the accuracy of the computationally efficient Wannier-function approximation. Our calculations indicate that the transmission is strongly affected by interface roughness and that information about scale and size of the imperfections can be obtained from transmission data.Comment: 12 pages, 6 Figures included into the text. Final version with minor changes. Accepted by Physical Review

Socio-Economic Instability and the Scaling of Energy Use with Population Size

The size of the human population is relevant to the development of a sustainable world, yet the forces setting growth or declines in the human population are poorly understood. Generally, population growth rates depend on whether new individuals compete for the same energy (leading to Malthusian or density-dependent growth) or help to generate new energy (leading to exponential and super-exponential growth). It has been hypothesized that exponential and super-exponential growth in humans has resulted from carrying capacity, which is in part determined by energy availability, keeping pace with or exceeding the rate of population growth. We evaluated the relationship between energy use and population size for countries with long records of both and the world as a whole to assess whether energy yields are consistent with the idea of an increasing carrying capacity. We find that on average energy use has indeed kept pace with population size over long time periods. We also show, however, that the energy-population scaling exponent plummets during, and its temporal variability increases preceding, periods of social, political, technological, and environmental change. We suggest that efforts to increase the reliability of future energy yields may be essential for stabilizing both population growth and the global socio-economic system