Metal-like heat conduction in laser-excited InSb probed by picosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction

Peter Sondhauss, Ola Synnergren, Tue Hansen, Sophie Canton, Henrik Enquist, Alok Srivastava, Jörgen Larsson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A semiconductor (InSb) showed transient metal- like heat conduction after excitation of a dense electron- hole plasma via short and intense light pulses. A related ultrafast strain relaxation was detected using picosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction. The deduced heat conduction was, by a factor of 30, larger than the lattice contribution. The anomalously high heat conduction can be explained once the contribution from the degenerate photocarrier plasma is taken into account. The magnitude of the effect could provide the means for guiding heat in semiconductor nanostructures. In the course of this work, a quantitative model for the carrier dynamics in laser-irradiated semiconductors has been developed, which does not rely on any adjustable parameters or ad hoc assumptions. The model includes various light absorption processes (interband, free carrier, two photon, and dynamical Burstein- Moss shifts), ambipolar diffusion, energy transport (heat and chemical potential), electrothermal effects, Auger recombination, collisional excitation, and scattering (elastic and inelastic). The model accounts for arbitrary degrees of degeneracy.
Original languageEnglish
JournalPhysical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics)
Volume78
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Bibliographical note

The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015.
The record was previously connected to the following departments: Max-laboratory (011012005), Atomic physics (011013005), Chemical Physics (S) (011001060)

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics

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