Polariton structure of interband transitions in semiconductors

Abstract

Abstract A set of semiclassical wave equations is derived describing the interaction of virtual or real electron‐hole pairs with electromagnetic radiation. The solutions of these equations are the polaritons formed in an interband transition. They describe a renormalized photon surrounded by a cloud of electron hole pairs. The concept of interband polaritons is particularly useful for the understanding of effects that are sensitive to the structure of the electron‐hole cloud. As examples the phenomena of polariton free surface layers (similar to exciton free layers) and electronic Raman scattering in a depletion layer with distorted bands are discussed.