%0 Journal Article
%T Fermi-Edge Superfluorescence from a Quantum-Degenerate Electron-Hole Gas
%A J. -H. Kim
%A G. T. Noe
%A S. A. McGill
%A Y. Wang
%A A. K. Wojcik
%A A. A. Belyanin
%A J. Kono
%J Physics
%D 2013
%I arXiv
%R 10.1038/srep03283
%X We report on the observation of spontaneous bursts of coherent radiation from a quantum-degenerate gas of nonequilibrium electron-hole pairs in semiconductor quantum wells. Unlike typical spontaneous emission from semiconductors, which occurs at the band edge, the observed emission occurs at the quasi-Fermi edge of the carrier distribution. As the carriers are consumed by recombination, the quasi-Fermi energy goes down toward the band edge, and we observe a continuously red-shifting streak. We interpret this emission as cooperative spontaneous recombination of electron-hole pairs, or superfluorescence, which is enhanced by Coulomb interactions near the Fermi edge. This novel many-body enhancement allows the magnitude of the spontaneously developed macroscopic polarization to exceed the maximum value for ordinary superfluorescence, making electron-hole superfluorescence even more "super" than atomic superfluorescence.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1312.4070v1