Terahertz waveguide spectroscopy of two-dimensional plasmons in GaAs

• Main Author: Harris, C. Thomas (Charles Thomas)
• Other Authors: Rajeev J. Ram.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2011
• Subjects: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62452

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2010. === Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. === Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-88). === The electrical characteristics of high-mobility, two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) systems, such as GaAs quantum wells, have been well-studied at low frequencies and in extreme conditions of high magnetic fields and ultralow temperatures. While high-frequency excitations of 2DEGs have been examined to some extent from microwave to terahertz (THz) frequencies, a fundamental understanding of the physical properties of 2DEGs in this range have by no means been mastered. To address this matter, this thesis focused on studying a fundamental, high-frequency collective excitation, known as the plasmon, to better understand plasmon damping and coupling mechanisms in GaAs quantum well 2DEGs. The experiments utilized THz waveguide spectroscopy to study the low-temperature behavior of 2D plasmons. === by C. Thomas Harris. === S.M.