Multiphonon Process in Mn-Doped ZnO Nanowires

The multiphonon process plays an essential role in understanding electron???phonon coupling, which significantly influ-ences the optical and transport properties of solids. Multiphonon processes have been observed in many materials, but how to distinguish them directly by their spectral characteristics remains controversial. Here, we report high-order Raman scattering up to 10 orders and hot luminescence involving 11 orders of phonons in Mn-doped ZnO nanowires by selecting the excitation energy. Our results show that the intensity distribution of high-order Raman scattering obeys an exponential decrease as the order number increases, while hot luminescence is fitted with a Poisson distribution with a resonance factor. Their linewidth and frequency can be well explained by two different transition models. Our work provides a paradigm for understanding the multiphonon-involved decay process of an excited state and may inspire studies of the statistical characteristics of excited state decay.

Automated summary

The multiphonon process is crucial for understanding the electron-phonon coupling in solids, which affects their optical and transport properties. This study investigates the characteristics of high-order Raman scattering and hot luminescence in Mn-doped ZnO nanowires to shed light on the multiphonon-involved decay process of excited states, providing insights for further studies on the statistical characteristics of excited state decay.