Polarization dependence of the resonant Raman scattering from electrons in a spin-split subband of a III-V semiconductor quantum well

We have shown that the resonance Raman spectrum of electron spin-flip excitations in a lowest spin-split conduction subband in a semiconductor quantum well depends on the directions of circular polarization of the incident and the scattered lights. In the case of resonance with a heavy-hole subband, this dependence can be detected only if this heavy-hole subband hybridizes with light-hole subbands. However, for resonance with a light-hole subband, the result is not so sensitive to the mixing of heavy- and light-hole subbands. We also found that under extreme resonant conditions, the amplitude of scattered light from charge-density excitations mixes with that from spin-density excitations because of the spin-orbit coupling associated to the spin splitting of conduction subbands.