Abstract
Raman measurements on a very thin single GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum well are reported. Under resonant excitation a strong continuous emission is observed in the low-frequency range of the spectra. This scattering is analyzed in terms of breakdown of the wave vector conservation law due to single-quantum-well effects. A model based on the envelope-function approximation and electron-acoustic phonons interaction in a single quantum well is presented and used for the calculations of resonant Raman spectra. Good agreement with the experimental spectra is obtained by considering contributions of both confined electrons and holes. It is shown that the activation of the one-dimensional density of states of acoustic phonons is at the origin of the observed scattering. An original method for probing electronic confinement in very low-dimensional systems is proposed.