Bn. Murdin et al., LANDAU-LEVEL LIFETIMES IN AN INAS ALSB QUANTUM-WELL DETERMINED BY A PICOSECOND FAR-INFRARED PUMP-PROBE TECHNIQUE/, Physica status solidi. b, Basic research, 204(1), 1997, pp. 155-158
We present measurements of Landau level lifetimes in a doped quantum w
ell structure of InAs/AlSb using a combination of pump-probe and satur
ation spectroscopy measurements. The cyclotron resonance was studied u
sing far-infrared radiation from a free-electron laser has yielded the
energy relaxation lifetime as a function of applied magnetic field, i
n the range h omega(c) = 14.5 to 18.5 meV. An energy of 15 meV corresp
onds to the magnetophonon resonance Delta l h omega(c) = h omega(LO) w
ith Delta l=2. The lifetime at this energy is at or below the resoluti
on limit of the pump-probe measurement: which is 10 ps. The results bo
th at T = 4 K and 80 K, show that the Landau level lifetime, tau is 50
+/- 5 ps off resonance. The so-called ''LO phonon bottleneck'' is evi
dently important in quenching the relaxation away from resonance.