Quantum-mechanical wavepacket transport in quantum cascade laser structures

TL;DR

This paper discusses quantum-mechanical wavepacket transport in quantum cascade lasers, emphasizing the role of coherent wavefunctions in charge movement, distinct from scattering processes that only redistribute particles energetically and momentum-wise.

Contribution

It offers a new perspective on charge transport in quantum cascade lasers, highlighting the importance of coherence over scattering in spatial charge movement.

Findings

Coherent wavefunctions govern charge transport in quantum cascade lasers.

Scattering processes redistribute energy and momentum but do not directly cause spatial charge motion.

The viewpoint shifts focus from scattering to quantum coherence in understanding transport.

Abstract

We present a viewpoint of the transport process in quantum cascade laser structures in which spatial transport of charge through the structure is a property of coherent quantum-mechanical wavefunctions. In contrast, scattering processes redistribute particles in energy and momentum but do not directly cause spatial motion of charge.