Controlled intersubband population dynamics in a semiconductor quantum well

We examine the intersubband transition dynamics of a single semiconductor quantum well when the ground and the first excited subbands are coupled by strong electromagnetic fields, with emphasis given to controlled intersubband population inversion. The system dynamics is described by the nonlinear density matrix equations that include the effects of electron-electron interactions. We present analytical results for the electromagnetic field that can lead to high-efficiency population inversion in the system. The validity of the analytical results is tested with numerical solutions of the density matrix equations for various values of the electron sheet density for a realistic GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well.