  Absorption and emission in inorganic bipolar solar cells based on low
dimensional structures exhibiting the effects of quantum confinement is
investigated in the framework of a comprehensive microscopic theory of the
optical and electronic degrees of freedom of the photovoltaic system. In a
quantum-statistical treatment based on non-equilibrium Green's functions, the
optical transition rates are related to the conservation of electronic
currents, providing a quantum version of the balance equations describing the
operation of a photovoltaic device. The generalized Planck law used for the
determination of emission from an excited semiconductor in quasi-equilibrium is
replaced by an expression of extended validity, where no assumptions on the
distribution of electrons and photons are made. The theory is illustrated by
the numerical simulation of single quantum well diodes at the radiative limit.
