Valence band structure, edge states, and interband absorption in quantum-well wires in high magnetic fields

We present a theoretical study of the magnetic band structure of conduction and valence states in quantum-well wires in high magnetic fields. We show that hole mixing results in a very complex behavior of valence edge states with respect to conduction states, a fact which is likely to be important in magnetotransport in the quantum Hall regime. We show how the transition from one-dimensional subbands to edge states and to Landau levels can be followed by optical experiments by choosing the appropriate, linear, or circular, polarization of the light, yielding information on the one-dimensional confinement.