Control of photocurrent directionality via interference of single and two photon absorption in a semiconductor

Summary form only given. In quantum mechanics, if two or more perturbations induce a transition between the same initial and final states of system, the overall transition probability is determined by the modulus squared of the sum of the transition amplitudes for each perturbation. It is therefore possible for interference effects to determine the outcome as it does in the classical Young´s double slit experiment. If two coherent beams with frequencies ω and 2ω are applied to a system, the interference between the quantum mechanical pathways associated with single and two photon absorption events can lead to final states on the system whose properties are dependent on the relative phase of the beams