CAREER: Coherent Manipulation of Carriers and Nonlinear Optical Processes in Semiconductor Quantum Wells Via Intense Multi-Cycle Terahertz Pulses

该职业奖旨在探索太赫兹频率范围内半导体量子井(QW)中随时间变化的载流子动力学和非线性光学效应，以及产生和整形强多周期太赫兹脉冲的新技术。利用合成任意太赫兹脉冲，所提出的实验方案专注于精确和相干地控制量子波包动力学，该量子波包动力学代表了半导体QW中受限激子的内部跃迁和子带间跃迁。利用强多周期THz脉冲对波包的时间演化进行操作和监测，研究了基态激发的量子相干和非线性响应。THz-TDS可以精确测量波包的相位和幅度，从而获得系统的完整量子信息。该教育计划将使用交互式Java程序来演示研究计划的基本概念和结果，该研究计划基于对光-物质相互作用、波传播和量子波包动力学的时域分析。这将用于修订和发展高级物理课程的课程，包括将在全国传播的物理范例项目中的课程。该奖项的资金由物理部的AMOP计划和材料研究部的凝聚态物理计划共同提供。

This CAREER award deals with research that aims to explore time-dependent carrier dynamics and nonlinear optical effects in semiconductor quantum wells (QWs) in the THz frequency range with novel techniques for generating and shaping intense multi-cycle THz pulses. Exploiting syntheses of arbitrary THz pulses, the proposed experimental schemes focus on precise and coherent control of quantum wavepacket dynamics representing internal transitions of confined excitons and intersubband transitions in semiconductor QWs. Quantum coherences and nonlinear responses of the fundamental excitations will be investigated by manipulating and monitoring temporal evolution of the wavepackets via THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) with intense multi-cycle THz pulses. THz-TDS permits precise measurements of phase as well as amplitude of the wavepackets, thus complete quantum information of the system can be obtained. The educational program will use interactive Java programs to demonstrate the basic concepts and results of the research program based on time-domain analysis of light-matter interaction, wave propagation, and quantum wavepacket dynamics. This will be used to contribute to course revision and development of upper-division physics courses including courses in the Paradigms in Physics Project which will be disseminated nationally. Funding for this award is provided by the AMOP Program in the Physics Division in conjunction with the Condensed Matter Physics Program in the Division of Materials Research.