Fano Signatures in the Intersubband Terahertz Response of Optically Excited Semiconductor Quantum Wells

Absorption and transmission spectra of broadband terahertz pulses are measured to probe the intersubband response of an optically excited quantum-well heterostructure. While the terahertz absorption shows the single peak of the resonant intersubband transition, the transmission spectra display strong Fano signatures due to the phase sensitive superposition of ponderomotive and terahertz currents as predicted by our microscopic theory.