The quantum theory of the absorption of weak electromagnetic waves (EMWs) caused by confined electrons in quantum wires has been studied based on Kubo's linear response theory and Mori's projection operator method. Analytical expressions for the absorption coefficients of weak EMWs in quantum wires with electron-acoustic phonon and electron-optical phonon scattering mechanisms are obtained. The dependence of the absorption coefficient of a weak EMW on its frequency ω as system temperature T, and the parameters charactering the sample are analyzed. Numerical calculations have been done, and the results are discussed for a typical wire of GaAs/GaAsAl.
