Multisubband nonequilibrium electron-electron scattering in semiconductor quantum wells

Abstract

Through numerical integration of the Boltzmann equation, we calculate the time evolution of a nonequilibrium electron distribution in two subbands in a quantum well as it relaxes to equilibrium. Electron-electron scattering is mediated by the dynamically screened Coulomb potential, calculated using the random-phase approximation. A strong dependence of the relative importance of intrasubband and intersubband scattering is found depending on the nature of the initial nonequilibrium distribution.