Carrier dynamics in the quantum kinetics regime

Theory has predicted that, on a short time scale, the dynamics of optically excited carriers in semiconductors can no longer be described by the semic lassical Boltzmann equation. The carriers rather behave like quantum mechan ical waves and the Boltzmann kinetics have to be replaced by quantum kineti cs. Here we briefly review recent experiments on the quantum kinetics of el ectron-LO-phonon scattering. The focus of this review, however, is on more recent experiments at elevated carrier densities which are within the regim e of the quantum kinetics of carrier-carrier scattering. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.