Terahertz Emission From Magneto-plasma Oscillations in Semiconductors

Ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy can be used to probe charge and spin dynamics in semiconductors. We have studied THz emission from bulk InAs and GaAs and from GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells as a function of magnetic field. Ultrashort pulses of THz radiation were produced at semiconductor surfaces by photoexcitation with a femtosecond TiSapphire laser, and we recorded the THz emission spectrum and the integrated THz power as a function of magnetic field and temperature. In bulk samples the emitted radiation is produced by coupled cyclotron-plasma oscillations: we model THz emission from n-GaAs as magneto-plasma oscillations in a 3-D electron gas. THz emission from a modulation-doped parabolic quantum well is described in terms of coupled intersubband-cyclotron motion. A model including both 3-D plasma oscillations and a 2-D electron gas in a surface accumulation layer is required to describe THz emission from InAs in a magnetic field. keywords: terahertz, ultrafast, InAs, GaAs, plasmon, magnetic, parabolic quantum well