Optoelectronic transport through quantum Hall edge states

Abstract

We use GaAs-based quantum point contacts as mesoscopic detectors to locally analyze the flow of photogenerated electrons in a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at perpendicular, quantizing magnetic fields. The 2DEG is formed within a quantum well of a doped GaAs/AlGaAs-heterostructure. We find an optoelectronic signal along the lateral boundaries of the 2DEG, which is consistent with an optically induced quantum transport through quantum Hall edge channels. We demonstrate that photogenerated electrons can be directly injected into an edge channel, transported across several tens of micrometers and read-out on-chip by the quantum point contact.