Coherent submillimeter-wave emission from charge oscillations in a double-well potential

Abstract

We directly observe the electromagnetic radiation emitted by electrons coherently oscillating between the two wells of a semiconductor coupled-quantum-well structure. Using time-resolved coherent detection of the submillimeter-wave radiation from these spatial charge oscillations, we trace up to fourteen oscillations at 1.5 THz before phase relaxation destroys the coherence of the oscillating wave packet. In addition to the oscillatory electromagnetic signal, we also observe an instantaneous signal from electric-field-induced optical rectification in the semiconductor structure.