Exciton-population inversion and terahertz gain in semiconductors excited to resonance

The buildup of exciton populations in resonantly laser excited semiconductors is studied microscopically. For excitation around the 2s-exciton resonance, it is shown that polarization with a strict s-type radial symmetry can be efficiently converted into an incoherent p-type population. As a consequence, inversion between the 2p and 1s exciton states can be obtained leading to the appearance of significant terahertz gain.