Nonlinear dynamics in far-infrared driven quantum-well intersubband transitions

A. A. BATISTA; P. I. TAMBORENEA; B. BIRNIR; M. S. SHERWIN; D. S. CITRIN

PHYSICAL REVIEW B - CONDENSED MATTER AND MATERIALS PHYSICS

American Physical Society

Año: 2002 vol. 66 p. 195325 - 195337

0163-1829

We study the effect of many-body interactions on the collective response of confined electrons in doped quantum-well (QW) heterostructures to intense far-infrared radiation. Absorption line shapes are computed both by numerically integrating the equations of motion and by using the appropriately time-averaged equations. For a two-subband double-QW system, optical bistability and period-doubling bifurcations are observed and their parameter range of activity is given. For a three-subband asymmetric triple-QW system driven at ω≈E2-E0, Hopf bifurcations occur which generate a strong response at a frequency incommensurate with the drive frequency or any natural frequency of the system.