Efficient three‐wave mixing via intersubband transitions in a semiconductor quantum well

Abstract

We put forward an efficient three-wave mixing (TWM) scheme in an asymmetric semiconductor quantum well (SQW) based on intersubband transitions. Using the coupled Schrödinger -Maxwell approach, we derive the corresponding explicit analytical expressions for the input probe and generated TWM signal fields. Such a nonlinear optical process may be used for efficiently generating coherent short-wavelength radiation in the SQW solid-state system, which is much more practical than that in atomic system because of its flexible design and the controllable interference strength.The research for quantum coherence in highly resonant media is an interesting topic in the field of laser physics and quantum optics. By use of quantum coherence, the problem about developing resonant nonlinear optics with high efficiency has attracted a lot of interest recently. The usual system used for this purpose is a four-level double-Λ system, or a four-level cascade-type system based on the effects of atomic coherence and interference. Representative papers are cited in Refs. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. For example, Zibrov et al. investigated an efficient nonlinear process in a four-level medium coherently prepared by resonant, counterpropagating fields and showed that such a process can be used for generation of pairs of Stokes and anti-Stokes fields [1]. Very recently, Wu et al. performed a time-dependent analysis of four-wave mixing (FWM) in a double-Λ system in an ultraslow propagation regime and obtained the analytical expressions of pulsed probe laser, FWM-generated pulse, phase shifts and absorption coefficients, group velocities, and FWM efficiency [2]. At the same time, they also analyzed and discussed a lifetimebroadened cascade-type four-wave-mixing scheme in the ultraslow propagation regime and showed that the generated FWM field could acquire the same group velocity and pulse shape as those of an ultraslow pump field [3]. On the other hand, some interesting experiments using these system have been successfully carried out, which may open up new opportunities for technological applications of these predicted phenomena [14][15][16][17]. Kang and co-workers reported an experimental study of resonant six-wave mixing in coherently prepared four-level double-Λ Rb atomic media [15]. Alternatively, they also reported an experimental observation of resonantly enhanced slow-light four-wave mixing in such cold Rb atomic media [16]. For three-level system, efficient second-harmonic generation in absorptive media was studied by Almogy and Yariv [20].In recent years, similar phenomena involving quantum coherence and interference in SQW systems have also attracted great attention due to the potentially important applications in optoelectronics and solid-state quantum information science. For example, it has been shown that they can lead to gain without inversion [26][27][28], coherently controlled photoncurrent generation [32], electron intersub-

Dynamic analysis of optical soliton pair and four-wave mixing via Fano interference in multiple quantum wells

“…Exciton spin coherence (coherent superposition of the |X+⟩ and |X−⟩ states) can be induced via the exciton to biexciton transition with opposite spins. As shown in figure 1, the ground state |G⟩, the one-exciton states (|X−⟩, |X+⟩) and the biexciton state |XX⟩ b resemble a four-level double-cascade configuration [10][11][12][13][14][15][24][25][26][27][28]. In the present system, two weaker fields (probe and signal) with angular frequencies ω p and ω s , one-half Rabi frequencies Ω p and Ω s , and two continuous wave stronger fields (control and drive) with angular frequencies ω c and ω d , one-half Rabi frequencies Ω c and Ω d , complete the respective excitations.…”

“…Many attempts have been made to established analogies to certain important phenomena of atomic systems. For their potentially important applications in optoelectronics and solidstate quantum information region, several typical interesting phenomena such as electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) [8][9][10][11][12][13], lasing without inversion [7], highly efficient three-wave mixing [14], all-optical switching [15], quantum phase gate [16] and slow light [17,18] have been demonstrated. In semiconductor quantum dots, which also have the same features as SMQWs, Yang et al theoretically investigated the simultaneous formation and stable propagation of slow optical soliton pairs in the semiconductor quantum dots [19].…”

Optical bistability in reflection of the laser pulse in a 1D photonic crystal doped with four-level InGaN/GaN quantum dots

“…The resonant absorption and dispersion of the probe light can be controlled by employing parameters such as coupling fields and relative phase between applied fields. In quantum information processing and all-optical switching, controlling the absorption, dispersion and group velocity of the transmitted light are considered the basic requirements for use in all-optical devices and optical communications [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. It is well known that EIT in solid-state systems such as semiconductor quantum wells and quantum dots (QDs) can occur by laser field or tunneling effect [16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

“…In quantum information processing and all-optical switching, controlling the absorption, dispersion and group velocity of the transmitted light are considered the basic requirements for use in all-optical devices and optical communications [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. It is well known that EIT in solid-state systems such as semiconductor quantum wells and quantum dots (QDs) can occur by laser field or tunneling effect [16][17][18][19][20][21]. QDs have attracted the attention of researchers due to features such as flexible design, controllable interference strength, similar properties to atomic vapors, and long dephasing times [22,23].…”