Perspective on phase-controlled currents in semiconductors driven by structured light

Abstract

Controlling electrons with ever-greater precision is central to both classical and quantum electronics. Since the invention of the laser, virtually every property of coherent light has been tamed, making it one of the most precise tools available to science, technology, and medicine. Coherent control involves the transduction of an exquisitely defined property of light to an electronic system, imparting coherence to an attribute of its constituent electrons. Early developments in coherent control utilized Gaussian laser beams and spatially averaged measurements. The spatial structure and orbital angular momentum of laser light provide additional degrees of freedom for steering electronic and quasiparticle excitations in condensed matter systems. In this Perspective, we first introduce the concept of coherent control in semiconductors. We then proceed to discuss the application of structured light beams to coherent control and the requirement for spatially resolved current detection. Subsequently, we present an overview of recent experiments that were performed using cylindrical vector beams and laser beams with structured phase fronts. Finally, we provide an outlook on the horizons that have emerged with these developments and future directions of interest.