Abstract

One of the basic problems of many-body physics is to establish links between fundamental dynamical processes in microscopic many-body systems with macroscopically observable signals. An important example is that of coherent exciton-exciton interaction in semiconductors excited with subpicosecond high-intensity light pulses. Based on a theoretical study, a new method for the investigation and identification of ultrafast exciton-exciton interactions in uniaxially strained zincblende quantum wells is proposed in this contribution: time-resolved nonlinear differential polarimetry (transmission ellipsometry). Beyond the specific example of uniaxially strained GaAs quantum wells, which have been realized only recently,¹ future extensions of the method may include naturally anisotropic semiconductors (e.g., those with hexagonal lattice structures).

© 1997 Optical Society of America