Coherent Dynamics of Photoexcited Semiconductor Superlattices with Applied Homogeneous Electric Fields

In this chapter a microscopic many-body theory is reviewed that allows one to compute the linear and nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor superlattices in the presence of homogeneous electric fields applied in the growth direction. The theory includes the process of optical excitation, the Coulomb interaction among the carriers, carrier-phonon coupling, and the acceleration induced by the electric field. Coherent phenomena induced by dc and ac fields, like Bloch oscillations and dynamical localization, are introduced and discussed. The theoretical analysis concentrates on the signatures and observability of such phenomena in linear and nonlinear optical experiments.