Nonperturbative THz nonlinearities for many-body quantum control in semiconductors

Quantum computing and ultrafast quantum electronics constitute pivotal technologies of the 21^st century and revolutionize the way we process information. Successful implementations require controlling superpositions of states and coherence in matter, and exploit nonlinear effects for elementary logic operations. In the THz frequency range between optics and electronics, solid state systems offer a rich spectrum of collective excitations such as excitons, phonons, magnons, or Landau electrons. Here, single-cycle THz transients of 8.7 kV/cm amplitude centered at 1 THz strongly excite inter-Landau-level transitions of magnetically biased GaAs quantum wells, facilitating coherent Landau ladder climbing by more than six rungs, population inversion, and coherent polarization control. Strong, highly nonlinear pump-probe and four- and six-wave mixing signals, entirely unexpected for this paragon of the harmonic oscillator, are revealed through two-time THz spectroscopy. In this scenario of nonperturbative polarization dynamics, our microscopic theory shows how the protective limits of Kohn’s theorem are ultimately surpassed by dynamically enhanced Coulomb interactions, opening the door to exploiting many-body dynamics for nonlinear quantum control.