Theory of the photon-drag effect in a two-dimensional electron gas

Abstract

Intersubband transitions stimulated by an electromagnetic wave which has a momentum in the plane of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) are accompanied by a "photon-drag" current due to the momentum imparted to electrons by the absorbed photons. In a high-mobility 2DEG at low temperatures, an enhanced effect occurs owing to the difference in the momentum relaxation times in the ground and the excited subbands. A theory of this effect is developed with particular attention paid to the geometrical aspects of proposed experiments. The enhanced effect is considered in two limits, corresponding to two dominant mechanisms of line broadening in the intersubband absorption spectra (the collision and the Doppler linewidths). The photon-drag effect permits a new type of spectroscopy containing information about the momentum-relaxation kinetics in 2D subbands. Moreover, it allows the imp)ementation of novel far-infrared detectors. Fundamental limits on the quantum efficiency of such detectors are discussed.

Terahertz Generation by Dynamical Photon Drag Effect in Graphene Excited by Femtosecond Optical Pulses

“…photon drag effect [6]. Here, we show broadband coherent terahertz emission, ranging from about 0.1-4 THz, in epitaxial graphene under femtosecond optical excitation, induced by a dynamical photon drag current.…”

The Photon-Drag Effect in Cylindrical Quantum Wire with an Infinite Potential for the Case of Electrons – Acoustic Phonon Scattering

“…The parameters used in the calculations are as follows [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Fig . 1 shows the dependence of j0z on the frequency  of the electromagnetic wave, when the frequency  of the electromagnetic wave increases, j0z also increases and toward a critical value.…”

“…The analytical results are numerically evaluated and plotted for a specific quantum wire GaAs/AlGaAs. These results are compared of the results of quantum wire with bulk semiconductors [1], quantum well [10] and superlattices [11,12] to show the differences.…”

“…The presence of intense laser radiation can also influence electrical conductivity and kinetic effects in material [1]- [12]. The photon-drag effect has been researched in semiconductors [1], in superlattices [10][11][12].…”

Photon-drag effect in a two-dimensional electron gas in high magnetic fields

“…An enhanced effect can be observed if these transitions take place between two parallel subbands for example the subbands of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). The theory of the PDE in a 2DEG was developed by Grinberg and Luryi [3] and was experimentally observed by Wieck et al [4]. Kesselring et al made investigations on the fast response time of the PDE and Sigg et al realized a fast detector based on the PDE in a 2DEG [5,6].…”