Abstract

Because excitons are charge neutral electron-hole pairs, they do not normally move in response to an electric field, and therefore it is difficult to control their motion. We report here the successful demonstration of two methods of exerting a force on excitons in GaAs coupled quantum wells. Both of these methods have been used to confine excitons to a spatial trap which is well approximated by harmonic potential in the plane of the wells.

© 1999 Optical Society of America