Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
Simplified theory of optical nonlinearities in spin-polarized semiconductors
1Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
Abstract:
The spin degree of freedom is largely disregarded in existing theories of the density-dependent optical properties of an interacting electron-hole plasma in quasiequilibrium. Here, we extended the pair equation, which is applicable to a bulk semiconductor at elevated temperatures, to calculate optical nonlinearities due to a spin-polarized plasma. We obtained agreement with recent circular dichroism data in laser-excited GaAs by using the plasma density alone as the fitting parameter. The simplicity of our theory, based on the analytical pair-equation formula, makes it ideal for conveniently modelling absorption in a carrier spin-polarized semiconductor.
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
Semiconductors
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
Band Theory
The energy difference between these bands is known as the band gap.
Conductor, Semiconductor,...
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
Types of Semiconductors
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview

