Rydberg Series of Dark Excitons in Cu_{2}O.

Abstract

We demonstrate the Rydberg series of dark excitons, known as paraexcitons, up to the principal quantum number n=6 for the yellow exciton series in Cu_{2}O, using second harmonic generation. Each of these states is optically inactive to all orders, but their observation becomes possible by application of a magnetic field which leads to mixing with the quadrupole-allowed bright excitons, called orthoexcitons, of the same n. The dark parastates are generally located below the bright orthostates, whose energies are increased by the electron-hole exchange interaction, except for n=2, where this order is reversed. This inversion occurs due to band mixing, namely, of the 2S_{y,o} orthoexciton of the yellow series with the 1S_{g,o} orthoexciton of the green exciton series.