Heterostructures as a quantum optical klistron

THE beam of open-quotes hotclose quotes ballistic electrons which were first obtained experimentally in (1) is considered when passing through the heterostructures consisting of two potential barriers in barriers in the presence of FEL tuning in infra-red region. In the presence of the first barrier the electron beam in the FEL electromagnetic field can either absorb or emit the field quanta. The initial electron beam may split into states n=1 (absorption of one quantum), n=0 (the beam energy unchanged), and n=-1 (emission of one quantum). The interference of the states with n=0, n=1 and n=0, n=1 results in the initiation of two traveling modulation waves at electromagnetic frequency w. Beats between these waves in the region of the of their overlapping lead to a periodic dependence of the modulation from w. It has been found that the spontaneous coherent radiation (SCR) intensity oscillates with the period depending on FEL frequency w. It is possible to increase or to decrease the spectral intensity of SCR varying w. The suggested idea of modulation on the first barrier of heterostructures and the radiation of modulated electron beam on the second barrier is a scheme of an quantum optical klistron in infra-red region