Optical manipulation of edge state transport in HgTe quantum wells

We investigate the influence of electromagnetic radiation on edge state transport within an effective model for the band structure of a HgTe quantum well. This effective model describes the quantum well especially well near its mass inversion thickness, where it is sufficient to take the first pair of hole- and electron-like bands into account. We show that, in an experimentally accessible regime, the motion of an electron which traverses one edge can be reversed. The mechanism behind this current direction inversion is the optical scattering of electrons in hole-like, counterclockwise moving states to electron-like, clockwise moving states.