  We discuss light-heavy hole beats observed in transient optical experiments
in GaAs quantum wells in terms of a free-boson coherent state model. This
approach is compared with descriptions based on few-level representations.
Results lead to an interpretation of the beats as due to classical
electromagnetic interference. The boson picture correctly describes photon
excitation of extended states and accounts for experiments involving coherent
control of the exciton density and Rayleigh scattering beating.
