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Optical orientation of electron spins in GaAs quantum wells

S. Pfalz·R. Winkler·T. Nowitzki·D. Reuter·A. D. Wieck·D. Haegele·M. Oestreich
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Abstract

We present a detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of the optical orientation of electron spins in GaAs/AlAs quantum wells. Using time and polarization resolved photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy, the initial degree of electron spin polarization is measured as a function of excitation energy for a sequence of quantum wells with well widths between 63 Ang and 198 Ang. The experimental results are compared with an accurate theory of excitonic absorption taking fully into account electron-hole Coulomb correlations and heavy-hole light-hole coupling. We find in wide quantum wells that the measured initial degree of polarization of the luminescence follows closely the spin polarization of the optically excited electrons calculated as a function of energy. This implies that the orientation of the electron spins is essentially preserved when the electrons relax from the optically excited high-energy states to quasi-thermal equilibrium of their momenta. Due to initial spin relaxation, the measured polarization in narrow quantum wells is reduced by a constant factor that does not depend on the excitation energy.

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S. Pfalz, R. Winkler, T. Nowitzki, D. Reuter, A. D. Wieck, D. Haegele, M. Oestreich. 2004-12-01. Optical orientation of electron spins in GaAs quantum wells. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.71.165305

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