Multiple quantum beats of a system of the coherently excited quantum confined exciton states in a high-quality heterostructure with a wide InGaAs/GaAs quantum well are experimentally detected by the spectrally resolved pump-probe method for the first
time. The beat signal is observed as at positive as at negative delays between the pump and probe pulses. A theoretical model is developed, which allows one to attribute the QBs at negative delay to the four-wave mixing (FWM) signal detected at the non-standard direction. The beat signal is strongly enhanced by the interference of the FWM wave with the polarization created by the probe pulse. At positive delay, the QBs are due to the mutual interference of the quantum confined exciton states. Several QB frequencies are observed in the experiments, which coincide with the interlevel spacings in the exciton system. The decay time for QBs is of order of several picoseconds at both the positive and negative delays. They are close to the relaxation time of exciton population that allows one to consider the exciton depopulation as the main mechanism of the coherence relaxation in the system under study.
A theory of polaritonic states is developed for a nanostructure with a wide quantum well stressed perpendicular to the growth axis of the heterostructure. The role of the $K$-linear terms appearing in the exciton Hamiltonian under the stress is discu
ssed. Exciton reflectance spectra are theoretically modeled for the nanostructure. It is predicted that the spectral oscillations caused by interference of the exciton-like and photon-like polariton modes disappear with the increase of applied pressure and then appear again with opposite phase relative to that observed at low pressure. Effects of gyrotropy and convergence of masses of excitons with heavy and light holes due to their mixing by the deformation is also considered. Numerical estimates performed for the GaAs wells show that these effects can be experimentally observed at pressure $P < 1$~GPa for the well widths of a fraction of micron.
