Quantitative evaluation of the energy-loss rate of hot electrons to cool electron-hole plasmas including dynamic screening and intervalence band processes

The net energy-loss rate of a hot electron in GaAs due to Coulomb-mediated interactions with a quasi-thermal electron-hole plasma is calculated for a range of plasma densities, temperatures and initial hot-electron energies. The energy-loss rates obtained using a fully dynamic treatment (within the random phase approximation) of the screening are significantly larger than those estimated using the static screening approximation. Furthermore, a substantial portion of the hot-electron's energy can be transferred to the plasma via the hole system when dynamic screening and intervalence band processes are included.