Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Interaction effects in optically dense materials

Steven T. Cundiff, Justin M. Shacklette, Virginia O. Lorenz

Published Apr 23, 2001• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The properties of optically dense materials are influenced by interactions between elementary optical excitations (oscillators). Since such interactions are absent in the dilute limit, the resulting properties are unique to optically dense materials. While linear optical experiments can probe these effects, for example the Lorentz-Lorenz resonance shift, they are often more apparent in nonlinear experiments that are sensitive to coherence. Direct gap semiconductors are typically optically dense close to the fundamental gap and have been extensively studied using ultrafast coherent spectroscopy over the last ten years. However, their coherent optical properties are very complex because of many-body interactions among the extended excitations (electron-hole pairs or excitons). Dense atomic vapors have also been studied, but typically using frequency domain techniques. We present the results of using ultrafast techniques to study both semiconductors and dense atomic vapors. This reveals the similarities and differences of the two systems, yielding insight into the characteristics of each individually.

DOI
10.1117/12.424728

Related papers

Coherent Dynamics in Semiconductors

J. M. Hvam

Ultrafast nonlinear optical spectroscopy is used to study the coherent dynamics of optically excited electron-hole pairs in semiconductors. Coulomb interaction implies that the optical inter-band transitions are dominated, at least at low temperatures, by excitonic effects. They are further enhanced in quantum confined lower-dimensional systems, where exciton and biexciton effects dominate the spectra even at room temperature. The coherent dynamics of excitons are at modest densities well described by the optical Bloch equations and a number of the dynamical effects known from atomic and molecular systems are found and studied in the exciton-biexciton system of semiconductors. At densities where strong exciton interactions, or many-body effects, become dominant, the semiconductor Bloch equations present a more rigorous treatment of the phenomena. Ultrafast degenerate four-wave mixing is used as a tool to study the coherent exciton dynamics, and the importance of performing transform limited spectroscopy is demonstrated throughout.

Kluwer Academic Publishers eBooks•Mar 5, 2006•3 citations

Optical Multidimensional Coherent Spectroscopy

Hebin Li, Bachana Lomsadze, Galan Moody +2 more

Abstract Optical multidimensional coherent spectroscopy provides information about the structure and excitation dynamics in a broad range of material systems. This book focuses on systems of interest in physics, including atomic vapors, semiconductor nanostructures and two-dimensional materials. An introduction to ultrafast spectroscopy and the fundamental concepts of multidimensional coherent spectroscopy applies to all material systems. Relevant experimental implementations, including phase-stabilized crossed-beams, frequency-tagged fully-collinear, three-dimensional and frequency-comb based methods. The use of the method to study atomic vapors, semiconductor quantum wells, semiconductor quantum dots and two-dimensional materials are described in separate chapters. The final chapters survey the use of the method in some other areas and speculate on future directions.

•Feb 28, 2023•36 citations

Coherent Control of Laser Field and Spectroscopy in Dense Atomic Vapor

Hebin Li

Coherent effects are studied in a dense atomic vapor driven by laser fields. With\noptical properties dramatically modified by these effects, the medium can be used\nto manipulate some of the properties of laser field. Our experiments demonstrate\nthe coherent control over transmission, spatial distribution and noise feature of the\nlaser field interacting with coherent media. The results have potential applications\nin the field such as precision metrology, precision spectroscopy, optical imaging and\nlithography.\nWe develop an experiment to investigate the atomic excitation by few-cycle radio\nfrequency (RF) pulses interacting with Zeeman sublevels. The system provides the\nflexibility to fully control all parameters of RF pulses. Such a flexibility can not be\nachieved in optical domain. Based on this system, experiments can be conducted to\nsimulate processes in ultra-short laser physics. In particular, we study the carrier-envelope\neffect of few-cycle pulses and the strong off-resonant excitation by short\npulses.\nWe also discuss the selective reflection spectrum on a highly dense atomic vapor\nin which the dipole-dipole interaction can not be neglected. The spectrum broadening\ndue to dipole-dipole interaction is much broader than the Doppler broadening. Our\nexperiments show that the excitation by a pump laser can reduce the dipole-dipole\ninteraction, thus reduce the broadening and improve the spectral resolution. The\nexcitation dependence is studied at various atomic densities.

•Jan 1, 2010•0 citations

Evidence for intervalence band coherences in semiconductors via coherently coupled optical Stark shifts

Michael E. Donovan, Axel Schülzgen, J. Lee +4 more

Summary form only given. The optical Stark shift in semiconductors transient nonlinearity which helps to understand fundamental ultrafast microscopic processes. Studies of similarities and differences between optical Stark shifts in atomic two-level systems and those observed in semiconductors led to the understanding of semiconductor-specific many-body effects such as biexcitons and Coulomb memory effects. While the two-level analogies of Stark shifts in semiconductors have been successfully exploited, the question of what one can learn from a comparison of coherent atomic three-level effects with optical Stark shifts in semiconductors using the coherent coupling between heavy-hole (hh) and light-hole (lh) excitons has not been addressed so far. In atomic three-level systems, nonradiative or Raman coherences are the foundation of important nonlinear optical effects such as electromagnetically-induced transparency and lasing without inversion. We investigate these coherences in an InGaAs multiple quantum well utilizing coherently-coupled Stark shift measurements of the hh- and lh-exciton resonances.

Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference•Nov 13, 2002•0 citations

Ultrafast gain in semiconductors

J.-P. Likforman, M. Joffre, Daniele Hulin

Excitonic resonances in direct-gap semiconductors have proved to exhibit similar optical non-linearities as in atoms. One example is the optical Stark effect [1] which occurs when the sample is excited by a strong pump field whose frequency is detuned from the optical transition. The optical Stark effect has been described as a coupling between the electromagnetic field and the resonance with no real absorption. It can also be seen as the creation of a virtual population in the excited state. A transient gain, quadratic in pump intensity, is associated to this effect as already observed in atomic systems [2]. This hyper-Raman process involves two pump photons and occurs at frequency 2ω p – ω0, where ω p and ω0 are the pump and atomic transition frequencies, respectively (see inset of Fig. 1).

International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena•Jan 1, 1996•0 citations

Theory of the Nonlinear Optical Properties of Semiconductors

H. Haug

The optical spectra of laser-excited semiconductors change with varying laser intensity. Close to exciton or biexciton resonances these optical nonlinearities are, e.g., large enough to obtain optical bistability. The cause for these large nonlinearities are many-body effects in the system of the electron-hole pair excitation. The use of nonequilibrium Green’s functions, or if a quasi-equilibrium exists of thermal Green’s functions, makes it possible to take radiative and Coulomb interactions consistently into account.

International Conference on Luminescence - 1984•Jan 1, 1984•0 citations
The properties of optically dense materials are influenced by interactions between elementary optical excitations (oscillators). Since such interactions are absent in the dilute limit, the resulting properties are unique to optically dense materials. While linear optical experiments can probe these effects, for example the Lorentz-Lorenz resonance shift, they are often more apparent in nonlinear experiments that are sensitive to coherence. Direct gap semiconductors are typically optically dense close to the fundamental gap and have been extensively studied using ultrafast coherent spectroscopy over the last ten years. However, their coherent optical properties are very complex because of many-body interactions among the extended excitations (electron-hole pairs or excitons). Dense atomic vapors have also been studied, but typically using frequency domain techniques. We present the results of using ultrafast techniques to study both semiconductors and dense atomic vapors. This reveals the similarities and differences of the two systems, yielding insight into the characteristics of each individually.
Ultrafast nonlinear optical spectroscopy is used to study the coherent dynamics of optically excited electron-hole pairs in semiconductors. Coulomb interaction implies that the optical inter-band transitions are dominated, at least at low temperatures, by excitonic effects. They are further enhanced in quantum confined lower-dimensional systems, where exciton and biexciton effects dominate the spectra even at room temperature. The coherent dynamics of excitons are at modest densities well described by the optical Bloch equations and a number of the dynamical effects known from atomic and molecular systems are found and studied in the exciton-biexciton system of semiconductors. At densities where strong exciton interactions, or many-body effects, become dominant, the semiconductor Bloch equations present a more rigorous treatment of the phenomena. Ultrafast degenerate four-wave mixing is used as a tool to study the coherent exciton dynamics, and the importance of performing transform limited spectroscopy is demonstrated throughout.
Abstract Optical multidimensional coherent spectroscopy provides information about the structure and excitation dynamics in a broad range of material systems. This book focuses on systems of interest in physics, including atomic vapors, semiconductor nanostructures and two-dimensional materials. An introduction to ultrafast spectroscopy and the fundamental concepts of multidimensional coherent spectroscopy applies to all material systems. Relevant experimental implementations, including phase-stabilized crossed-beams, frequency-tagged fully-collinear, three-dimensional and frequency-comb based methods. The use of the method to study atomic vapors, semiconductor quantum wells, semiconductor quantum dots and two-dimensional materials are described in separate chapters. The final chapters survey the use of the method in some other areas and speculate on future directions.
Coherent effects are studied in a dense atomic vapor driven by laser fields. With\noptical properties dramatically modified by these effects, the medium can be used\nto manipulate some of the properties of laser field. Our experiments demonstrate\nthe coherent control over transmission, spatial distribution and noise feature of the\nlaser field interacting with coherent media. The results have potential applications\nin the field such as precision metrology, precision spectroscopy, optical imaging and\nlithography.\nWe develop an experiment to investigate the atomic excitation by few-cycle radio\nfrequency (RF) pulses interacting with Zeeman sublevels. The system provides the\nflexibility to fully control all parameters of RF pulses. Such a flexibility can not be\nachieved in optical domain. Based on this system, experiments can be conducted to\nsimulate processes in ultra-short laser physics. In particular, we study the carrier-envelope\neffect of few-cycle pulses and the strong off-resonant excitation by short\npulses.\nWe also discuss the selective reflection spectrum on a highly dense atomic vapor\nin which the dipole-dipole interaction can not be neglected. The spectrum broadening\ndue to dipole-dipole interaction is much broader than the Doppler broadening. Our\nexperiments show that the excitation by a pump laser can reduce the dipole-dipole\ninteraction, thus reduce the broadening and improve the spectral resolution. The\nexcitation dependence is studied at various atomic densities.
Summary form only given. The optical Stark shift in semiconductors transient nonlinearity which helps to understand fundamental ultrafast microscopic processes. Studies of similarities and differences between optical Stark shifts in atomic two-level systems and those observed in semiconductors led to the understanding of semiconductor-specific many-body effects such as biexcitons and Coulomb memory effects. While the two-level analogies of Stark shifts in semiconductors have been successfully exploited, the question of what one can learn from a comparison of coherent atomic three-level effects with optical Stark shifts in semiconductors using the coherent coupling between heavy-hole (hh) and light-hole (lh) excitons has not been addressed so far. In atomic three-level systems, nonradiative or Raman coherences are the foundation of important nonlinear optical effects such as electromagnetically-induced transparency and lasing without inversion. We investigate these coherences in an InGaAs multiple quantum well utilizing coherently-coupled Stark shift measurements of the hh- and lh-exciton resonances.
Excitonic resonances in direct-gap semiconductors have proved to exhibit similar optical non-linearities as in atoms. One example is the optical Stark effect [1] which occurs when the sample is excited by a strong pump field whose frequency is detuned from the optical transition. The optical Stark effect has been described as a coupling between the electromagnetic field and the resonance with no real absorption. It can also be seen as the creation of a virtual population in the excited state. A transient gain, quadratic in pump intensity, is associated to this effect as already observed in atomic systems [2]. This hyper-Raman process involves two pump photons and occurs at frequency 2ω p – ω0, where ω p and ω0 are the pump and atomic transition frequencies, respectively (see inset of Fig. 1).
The optical spectra of laser-excited semiconductors change with varying laser intensity. Close to exciton or biexciton resonances these optical nonlinearities are, e.g., large enough to obtain optical bistability. The cause for these large nonlinearities are many-body effects in the system of the electron-hole pair excitation. The use of nonequilibrium Green’s functions, or if a quasi-equilibrium exists of thermal Green’s functions, makes it possible to take radiative and Coulomb interactions consistently into account.