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Monopolar Spin Orientation and Determination of Spin Relaxation Times in Quantum Well Structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

Sergey D. Ganichev ,
Sergey N. Danilov ,
Martin Sollinger ,
Dieter Weiss ,
Werner Wegscheider ,
Wilhelm Prettl ,
Vasily V. Bel'kov  and
Eugenius L. Ivchenko
Sergey D. Ganichev
Affiliation:
Fakultäat für Physik, Universitäat Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany A. F. Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, 194021 St. Petersburg, Russia
Sergey N. Danilov
Affiliation:
Fakultäat für Physik, Universitäat Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
Martin Sollinger
Affiliation:
Fakultäat für Physik, Universitäat Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
Dieter Weiss
Affiliation:
Fakultäat für Physik, Universitäat Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
Werner Wegscheider
Affiliation:
Fakultäat für Physik, Universitäat Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
Wilhelm Prettl
Affiliation:
Fakultäat für Physik, Universitäat Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
Vasily V. Bel'kov
Affiliation:
A. F. Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, 194021 St. Petersburg, Russia
Eugenius L. Ivchenko
Affiliation:
A. F. Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, 194021 St. Petersburg, Russia
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Abstract

It is shown that monopolar optical spin orientation of free carriers in zinc-blende structure based quantum wells (QWs) causes an electric current which reverses its direction upon changing the helicity of the radiation from left to right circular polarization resulting in a circular photogalvanic effect. The monopolar non-equilibrium population of spin-up and spin-down states has been achieved by far-infrared optical excitation ofp- andn-type GaAs/AlGaAs QWs structures. Two methods are introduced allowing to determine spin relaxation times. One is based on the Hanle effect in magnetic field induced circular photogalvanic effect, the other is spin sensitive bleaching of absorption. In contrast to usually applied methods of optical spin orientation, in the present case of terahertz excitation only one kind of charge carriers is involved in spin orientation and relaxation processes.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 690: Symposium F – Spintronics , 2001 , F1.2
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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References

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