Closed loop coherent control of electronic transitions in gallium arsenide

A genetic algorithm was used to control the photoluminesce-nce (PL) from GaAs(100). A spatial light modulator (SLM) used feedback from the emission to optimize the spectral phase profile of an ultrashort laser pulse. Most of the experiments were performed using a sine phase function to optimize the integrated PL spectrum over a specified wavelength range, with the amplitude and period of the phase function treated as genetic parameters. An order of magnitude increase in signal was achieved after only one generation, and an optimized waveform, consisting of three equally spaced pulses approximately 0.8 ps apart, was obtained after 15 generations. The effects of fluence, polarization, relative phase of the subpulses, and spectral range of the optimized PL were investigated. In addition, preliminary experiments were performed using the phases of individual pixels of the SLM as genetic variables. The PL spectrum is identified with recombination of electron-hole pairs in the L-valley of the Brillouin zone. Control is achieved by coherent manipulation of plasma electrons. It is proposed that hot electrons excite lattice phonons, which in turn scatter carriers into the L-valley.