We report on the first experimental observation of spin noise in a single semiconductor quantum well embedded into a microcavity. The great cavity-enhanced sensitivity to fluctuations of optical anisotropy has allowed us to measure the Kerr rotation and ellipticity noise spectra in the strong coupling regime. The spin noise spectra clearly show two resonant features: a conventional magneto-resonant component shifting towards higher frequencies with magnetic field and an unusual "nonmagnetic" component centered at zero frequency and getting suppressed with increasing magnetic field. We attribute the first of them to the Larmor precession of free electron spins, while the second one being presumably due to hyperfine electron-nuclei spin interactions.Introduction. In the present-day physics of semiconductor nanostructures, a considerable interest is shown for the fundamental spin-related properties which are also promising in applications. Among optical methods of spin dynamics studies, an important place is given to the Faraday-rotation-based spin noise spectroscopy (SNS) which became well-known and popular during the last several years [1]. The advantages of SNS are primarily owed to its nonperturbative nature because probing the sample response by a weak laser beam in the region of transparency does not lead to any real electronic transitions. Extreme smallness of the magnetization fluctuations detected with the SNS technique calls for the highest polarimetric sensitivity which is achieved by using various electronic or optical means. A real breakthrough occurred when the fast-Fourier-transform (FFT) spectrum analyzers were applied in electronics of the SNS technique [2]. The most straightforward optical way to enhance the polarimetric sensitivity implies increasing intensity of the probe light beam and, simultaneously, leaving the input power of photodetector on the admissible level. This can be implemented either by using highextinction polarization geometries [3] or by placing the sample inside a high-Q optical cavity [4]. In both cases, the light power density on the sample can be increased by a few orders of magnitude, with the light power on the photodetector and, therefore, the photocurrent shot noise remaining on the same low level.For low-dimensional semiconductor structures (quantum wells, wires and dots) the problem of polarimetric sensitivity is especially topical. In Ref.[5], in order to increase the signal, the spin noise spectra of n-doped GaAs quantum wells were studied in the samples containing ten identical quantum wells (QWs). The measurement of the spin noise spectrum of a layer of InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) in a high-finesse microcavity allowed Dahbashi et al. [6] to perform unique investigation of spin dynamics of a single heavy hole localized in a selected QD. We are not aware of any experimental study of spin

Optical control of exciton fluxes is realized for indirect excitons in a crossed-ramp excitonic device. The device demonstrates experimental proof of principle for all-optical excitonic transistors with a high ratio between the excitonic signal at the optical drain and the excitonic signal due to the optical gate. The device also demonstrates experimental proof of principle for all-optical excitonic routers.

We exploit the potential of the spin noise spectroscopy (SNS) for studies of nuclear spin dynamics in n-GaAs. The SNS experiments were performed on bulk n-type GaAs layers embedded into a high-finesse microcavity at negative detuning. In our experiments, nuclear spin polarisation initially prepared by optical pumping is monitored in real time via a shift of the peak position in the electron spin noise spectrum. We demonstrate that this shift is a direct measure of the Overhauser field acting on the electron spin. The dynamics of nuclear spin is shown to be strongly dependent on the electron concentration.

An ensemble of quantum dot excitons may be used for coherent information manipulation. Due to the ensemble inhomogeneity any optical information retrieval occurs in form of a photon echo.We show that the inhomogeneity can lead to a significant deviation from the conventional echo timing sequence. Variation of the area of the initial rotation pulse, which generates excitons in a dot sub-ensemble only, reveals this complex picture of photon echo formation. We observe a retarded echo for π/2 pulses, while for 3π/2 the echo is advanced in time as evidenced through monitoring the Rabi oscillations in the time-resolved photon echo amplitude from (In,Ga)As/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot structures and confirmed by detailed calculations.