Microscopic carrier dynamics in quantum wells modulated by high-frequency lateral fields

Abstract We have investigated the dynamics of photogenerated carriers in GaAs quantum wells under the influence of high-frequency fields produced by metal gratings and by surface acoustic waves (SAW's) using spatially and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL). The frequency and phase of the PL oscillations induced by the high-frequency field yield information about the spatial distribution of the carriers and, in the case of SAW's, about the band-gap modulation induced by the SAW strain.