Spatial Structure in Mode Population Induced by Coherent Pumping in a Ballistic Quantum Channel

Abstract

We predict a spatially varying mode population to appear in a GaAs/AlGaAs-2DEG ballistic quantum channel pumped by a THz-field. If a resonant coupling between two modes is suddenly switched on at the entrance, Rabi oscillations in the mode population will arise. We propose to use an array of gates in order to simulate a moving quantum point contact for detecting the mode population oscillations, since they discriminate between different modes. By consecutively activating them we expect to see both photovoltaic effects and photoconductive effects which can easily be distinguished from noise.