Symmetry-breaking and chaos in electron transport in semiconductor superlattices

Abstract We study the motion of ballistic electrons in a single miniband of a semiconductor superlattice (SSL) driven by a terahertz laser polarized along the growth direction. We work in the semiclassical balance-equation model, including different elastic and inelastic scattering rates, and incorporating the self-consistent electric field generated by electron motion. We explore regions of complex dynamics, which can include chaotic behavior and symmetry-breaking. Finally, we estimate the magnitude of the DC current and voltage that spontaneously appear in regions of broken-symmetry for parameters characteristic of real SSLs.