Nondegenerate Two-Photon Absorption in GaAs/AlGaAs Multiple Quantum Well Waveguides

Abstract

We present femtosecond pump-probe measurements of the nondegenerate (1960$\,$nm excitation and 1176--1326$\,$nm probe) two-photon absorption spectra of 8 $\,$nm GaAs/12$\,$nm Al$_{0.32}$Ga$_{0.68}$As quantum well waveguides. Experiments were performed with light pulses co-polarized normal and tangential to the quantum well plane. The results are compared to perturbative calculations of transition rates between states determined by the $\mathbf{k}\cdot\mathbf{p}$ method with an 8 or 14 band basis. We find excellent agreement between theory and experiment for normal polarization, then use the model to support predictions of orders-of-magnitude enhancement of nondegenerate two-photon absorption as one constituent photon energy nears an intersubband resonance.