We examine theoretically the intersubband transitions induced by laser beams of light with orbital angular momentum (twisted light) in semiconductor quantum wells at normal incidence. These transitions become possible in the absence of gratings thank
s to the fact that collimated laser beams present a component of the lights electric field in the propagation direction. We derive the matrix elements of the light-matter interaction for a Bessel-type twisted-light beam represented by its vector potential in the paraxial approximation. Then, we consider the dynamics of photo-excited electrons making intersubband transitions between the first and second subbands of a standard semiconductor quantum well. Finally, we analyze the light-matter matrix elements in order to evaluate which transitions are more favorable for given orbital angular momentum of the light beam in the case of small semiconductor structures.
Spin exchange between a single-electron charged quantum dot and itinerant electrons leads to an emergence of Kondo correlations. When the quantum dot is driven resonantly by weak laser light, the resulting emission spectrum allows for a direct probe
of these correlations. In the opposite limit of vanishing exchange interaction and strong laser drive, the quantum dot exhibits coherent oscillations between the single-spin and optically excited states. Here, we show that the interplay between strong exchange and non-perturbative laser coupling leads to the formation of a new nonequilibrium quantum-correlated state, characterized by the emergence of a laser-induced secondary spin screening cloud, and examine the implications for the emission spectrum.
