Ultrafast control of inelastic tunneling in a double semiconductor quantum

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates femtosecond control of electron tunneling in a double quantum well system using shaped electromagnetic pulses, enabling localization and stabilization of electron dynamics despite vibrational excitations.

Contribution

It provides analytical and numerical evidence for ultrafast control of inelastic tunneling in semiconductor quantum wells with vibrational coupling.

Findings

Femtosecond electromagnetic pulses can control electron motion in quantum wells.

Localization and stabilization of electron dynamics are achievable.

Control persists even with vibrational mode excitations.

Abstract

In a semiconductor-based double quantum well (QW) coupled to a degree of freedom with an internal dynamics, we demonstrate that the electronic motion is controllable within femtoseconds by applying appropriately shaped electromagnetic pulses. In particular, we consider a pulse-driven AlxGa1-xAs based symmetric double QW coupled to uniformly distributed or localized vibrational modes and present analytical results for the lowest two levels. These predictions are assessed and generalized by full-fledged numerical simulations showing that localization and time-stabilization of the driven electron dynamics is indeed possible under the conditions identified here, even with a simultaneous excitations of vibrational modes.