Hybrid structures synthesized from di erent materials have attracted considerable attention because they may allow not only combination of the functionalities of the individual constituents but also mutual control of their properties. To obtain such a control an interaction between the components needs to be established. For coupling the magnetic properties, an exchange interaction has to be implemented which typically depends on wavefunction overlap and is therefore short-ranged, so that it may be compromised across the hybrid interface. Here we study a hybrid structure consisting of a ferromagnetic Co layer and a semiconducting CdTe quantum well, separated by a thin (Cd,Mg)Te barrier. In contrast to the expected p-d exchange that decreases exponentially with the wavefunction overlap of quantum well holes and magnetic atoms, we find a long-ranged, robust coupling that does not vary with barrier width up to more than 30 nm. We suggest that the resulting spin polarization of acceptor-bound holes is induced by an e ective p-d exchange that is mediated by elliptically polarized phonons. E xchange interactions are the origin for correlated magnetism in condensed matter with multi-faceted behaviour such as ferro-, antiferro-or ferrimagnetism. In magnetic semiconductors (SCs), the exchange occurs between free charge carriers and localized magnetic atoms 1-4 and is determined by their wavefunction overlap. To control this overlap, hybrid structures consisting of a ferromagnetic (FM) layer and a semiconductor quantum well (QW) are appealing objects because they allow wavefunction engineering. Furthermore, the mobility of QW carriers will not be reduced by inclusion of magnetic ions in the same spatial region in these systems.More specifically, for a two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG, the p-system) in a QW the overlap of the hole wavefunction with the magnetic atoms in a nearby ferromagnetic layer (the d-system) is believed to result in p-d exchange interaction 5-8 . This exchange interaction may cause strong coupling between the SC and FM spin systems 9 , through which the ferromagnetism of the unified system, as evidenced by its hysteresis loop, can be tuned. In particular, the 2DHG spin system becomes polarized in the effective magnetic field from the p-d exchange 5,8 . Recently 10 , it was shown that in addition to this equilibrium 2DHG polarization there is an alternative mechanism involving spin-dependent capture of carriers from the SC into the FM. For ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As on top of an (In,Ga)As QW, electron capture induces electron spin polarization in the QW, representing a dynamical effect in contrast to the exchange-induced equilibrium polarization.Here we study a different FM/QW hybrid, consisting of a Co layer and a CdTe II-VI semiconductor QW, separated by a nanometrethick barrier. Owing to the negligible hole tunnelling through the barrier, this hybrid combination shows mostly a quasi-equilibrium proximity effect due to p-d exchange interaction between magnetic atoms and holes in the QW. Surprisingly, howev...

An ensemble of quantum dot excitons may be used for coherent information manipulation. Due to the ensemble inhomogeneity any optical information retrieval occurs in form of a photon echo.We show that the inhomogeneity can lead to a significant deviation from the conventional echo timing sequence. Variation of the area of the initial rotation pulse, which generates excitons in a dot sub-ensemble only, reveals this complex picture of photon echo formation. We observe a retarded echo for π/2 pulses, while for 3π/2 the echo is advanced in time as evidenced through monitoring the Rabi oscillations in the time-resolved photon echo amplitude from (In,Ga)As/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot structures and confirmed by detailed calculations.

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Multidimensional coherent optical spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools for investigating complex quantum mechanical systems. While it was conceived decades ago in magnetic resonance spectroscopy using micro-and radio-waves, it has recently been extended into the visible and UV spectral range. However, resolving MHz energy splittings with ultrashort laser pulses has still remained a challenge. Here, we analyze two-dimensional Fourier spectra for resonant optical excitation of resident electrons to localized trions or donor-bound excitons in semiconductor nanostructures subject to a transverse magnetic field. Particular attention is devoted to Raman coherence spectra which allow one to accurately evaluate tiny splittings of the electron ground state and to determine the relaxation times in the electron spin ensemble. A stimulated step-like Raman process induced by a sequence of two laser pulses creates a coherent superposition of the ground state doublet which can be retrieved only optically due to selective excitation of the same sub-ensemble with a third pulse. This provides the unique opportunity to distinguish between different complexes that are closely spaced in energy in an ensemble. The related experimental demonstration is based on photon echo measurements in an n-type CdTe/(Cd,Mg)Te quantum well structure detected by a heterodyne technique. The difference in the sub-µeV range between the Zeeman splittings of donor-bound electrons and electrons localized at potential fluctuations can be resolved even though the homogeneous linewidth of the optical transitions is larger by two orders of magnitude.

University of Bristol -Explore Bristol Research General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms PHYSICAL REVIEW B 95, 035312 (2017)