Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Measurement of Coherence Decay in GaMnAs Using Femtosecond Four-wave Mixing
Published on: December 3, 2013
Strong photon-mixing of terahertz waves in semiconductor quantum wells induced by Rashba spin-orbit coupling
Feng Gao1, Guoxiu Wang, Chao Zhang
1Institute of Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
Abstract:
We demonstrate that due to the Rashba spin-orbit coupling in semiconductor quantum wells, there is strong photo-mixing by mobile carriers in the terahertz frequency regime. The third order nonlinear current is of the same order of magnitude as the linear order current for an electric field intensity of 10(4) V cm(-1) at frequency around 1 THz, a situation easily achievable in a laboratory system. Unlike other nonlinear effects, the nonlinear current density due to the spin-orbit coupling is inversely proportional to the concentration of mobile carriers.
Related Concept Videos
Carrier Generation and Recombination
This process is given by the generation rate G and is efficient due to the conservation of momentum between the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum.
Indirect generation involves an...
NMR Spectroscopy: Spin–Spin Coupling
Spin–Spin Coupling: Two-Bond Coupling (Geminal Coupling)
The central atom need not be NMR-active because its electrons are affected by the electron polarization of the spin-active atoms. However, spin information is transmitted less effectively than in one-bond coupling, and 2J values are usually weaker than 1J values. The energy of...
Electromagnetic Waves in Matter
Consider the electromagnetic wave passing through a dielectric medium. In such a case, Maxwell's equations get modified. In Ampere's law, ε0 , the dielectric permittivity of free space is replaced with ε, the permittivity of dielectric. Also, the vacuum permeability μ0 is replaced by the permeability of the medium, μ.
Furthermore, the...
Spin–Spin Coupling: One-Bond Coupling
IR Absorption Frequency: Hybridization
Among the sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridized orbitals, sp orbitals have the maximum s character (50%). Consequently, the electrons are held more closely to the nucleus, resulting in stronger and shorter C–H bonds that stretch at a...

