  In p+ GaAs thin films, the effect of photoelectron degeneracy on spin
transport is investigated theoretically and experimentally by imaging the spin
polarization profile as a function of distance from a tightly-focussed light
excitation spot. Under degeneracy of the electron gas (high concentration, low
temperature), a dip at the center of the polarization profile appears with a
polarization maximum at a distance of about $2 \; \mu m$ from the center. This
counterintuitive result reveals that photoelectron diffusion depends on spin,
as a direct consequence of the Pauli principle. This causes a concentration
dependence of the spin stiffness while the spin dependence of the mobility is
found to be weak in doped material. The various effects which can modify spin
transport in a degenerate electron gas under local laser excitation are
considered. A comparison of the data with a numerical solution of the coupled
diffusion equations reveals that ambipolar coupling with holes increases the
steady-state photo-electron density at the excitation spot and therefore the
amplitude of the degeneracy-induced polarization dip. Thermoelectric currrents
are predicted to depend on spin under degeneracy (spin Soret currents), but
these currents are negligible except at very high excitation power where they
play a relatively small role. Coulomb spin drag and bandgap renormalization are
negligible due to electrostatic screening by the hole gas.
