Quantum control of electrons in semiconductor nanostructures using spatially uniform electric fields

Abstract

We have studied quantum control operations on electrons confined in semiconductor nanostructures using time-dependent spatially uniform electric fields. Our general goal was to manipulate the wave function of one or two electrons and thereby control a certain quantum probability of interest. Since our main interest was in performing certain tasks rather than in developing efficient control methods, we searched relevant parts of our parameter space numerically in a systematic manner. Here we summarize the results of three studies whose common denominator is the fact that the control of the wave function is performed using a uniform electric field, or, in other words, through the electric dipole approximation Hamiltonian H/sub d/= -er/spl middot/E(t). The subjects of these studies are: Coherent control of multisubband wavepackets with terahertz pulses, single-electron turnstile modelled with two interacting electrons, and dynamical localization of two interacting electrons in coupled quantum dots.