Hot carrier effects on the magneto-optical detection of electron spins in GaAs

T. Henn, A. Heckel, M. Beck, T. Kiessling, W. Ossau, L. W. Molenkamp, D. Reuter, and A. D. Wieck
Phys. Rev. B 88, 085303 – Published 5 August 2013

Abstract

We report on spatially resolved pump-probe MOKE spectroscopy measurements of electron spins in bulk n-type GaAs. For low lattice temperatures these measurements are significantly compromised by local changes in the excitonic magneto-optical response which are not related to the electron spin polarization. These local changes in the excitonic Kerr spectrum are due to carrier heating caused by above-band-gap optical excitation. When hot electrons are present, a measurement of the local Kerr rotation at a fixed arbitrary probe wavelength does not necessarily correctly reveal the local electron spin polarization. By analyzing the spatial dependence of the full excitonic Kerr rotation spectrum we determine the local excitonic spin splitting energy from which we obtain the true lateral electron spin polarization profile.

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  • Received 22 March 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.085303

©2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

T. Henn, A. Heckel, M. Beck, T. Kiessling*, W. Ossau, and L. W. Molenkamp

  • Physikalisches Institut (EP3), Universität Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany

D. Reuter and A. D. Wieck

  • Institut für Angewandte Festkörperphysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany

  • *tobias.kiessling@physik.uni-wuerzburg.de

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Vol. 88, Iss. 8 — 15 August 2013

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