Transient grating studies of phase and spin relaxations of excitons in GaAs single quantum wells

Abstract

Exciton spin and phase relaxations at low temperatures in GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum wells were investigated by using transient grating technique. The technique allows us to obtain the exciton lifetime, spin relaxation, and phase relaxation in the same setup. In combination with a series of single quantum wells grown on the same substrate, the well width dependence of exciton spin relaxation was studied. The obtained spin relaxation results were analyzed with their phase relaxation times in a framework of MAS mechanism, and were in good agreement with the calculated results. Especially, the motional narrowing character of the exciton spin relaxation was well demonstrated.