Wave Packet Dynamics in a Biased Finite-Length Superlattice

Abstract

In a superlattice containing a finite number of periods, the allowed values of the Bloch wave number form a discrete set, and the dynamics of an electron through k-space under the influence of an external force is necessarily that of a superposition wave packet composed of multiple Bloch waves. The present paper investigates this dynamics for a particularly simple class of "k-compact" wave packets, in which the spread over different k-values is minimized, and which propagate with an essentially rigid shape through k-space.