Quantum control of electron spins in the two-dimensional electron gas of a CdTe quantum well with a pair of Raman-resonant phase-locked laser pulses

Abstract

We demonstrated optical spin control of a two-dimensional electron gas in a modulation-doped CdTe quantum well by driving a spin-flip Raman transition with a pair of phase-locked laser pulses. In contrast to single-pulse optical spin control, which features a fixed spin-rotation axis, manipulation of the initial relative phase of the pulse pair enables us to control the axis of the optical spin rotation. We show that the Raman pulse pair acts like an effective microwave field, mapping the relative optical phase onto the phase of the electron spin polarization and making possible ultrafast, all-optical, and full quantum control of the electron spins.