Quantum Theory of Spontaneous Emission from Exciton-Electron-Phonon Complex in Solid: Quantum Interference and Many-Body Effect

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive quantum mechanical model explaining complex spectral features in the photoluminescence of ZnO, accounting for exciton-electron-phonon interactions and many-body effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum theory that captures detailed spectral structures arising from exciton coupling with electronic and phononic excitations.

Findings

Explains zero-phonon line splitting and Fano lineshapes.

Quantitative match with experimental photoluminescence data.

Identifies origins of phonon sidebands and satellite lines.

Abstract

A full quantum mechanical theory for the spontaneous emission from excitons simultaneously coupled to electronic excitations and anharmonic phonons in solid is developed. Origin of detailed structures, such as zero-phonon line splitting, Fano lineshape near one phonon sideband, strong second-order phonon Stokes line, asymmetric phonon anti-Stokes lines, and two-electron satellites as well as their phonon replicas recently revealed in the low-temperature photoluminescence of ZnO, has been identified by quantitative calculations from the theory.