Self-consistent modeling of laser-driven plasma dynamics in semiconductor nanostructures

We present a 3D model for laser-driven plasma dynamics in semiconductor nanostructures coupled to Maxwell's equations. The model self-consistently describes plasma oscillations even in the near absence of Coulomb screening in the case of a 1D material, as well as a measurable photon-drag current. We show that these plasma oscillations and photon-drag currents result from photon momentum transferred from the laser field to the carriers during absorption (typically neglected in such calculations) and the appearance of non-zero off-diagonal quantum density-matrix elements. We further show how this plasma responds to probing THz radiation and examine the role of many-body scattering during the plasma oscillations. Additional simulations measure the optoelectronic properties of the electron-hole plasma, including charge mobility, conductivity, and THz response. These results inform the development of nanoscale optoelectronic sensor components and reduced-dimensional plasmonic structures.