  The notion of zitterbewegung is a long-standing prediction of relativistic
quantum mechanics. Here we extend earlier theoretical studies on this
phenomenon for the case of III-V zinc-blende semiconductors which exhibit
particularly strong spin-orbit coupling. This property makes nanostructures
made of these materials very favorable systems for possible experimental
observations of zitterbewegung. Our investigations include electrons in n-doped
quantum wells under the influence of both Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit
interaction, and also the two-dimensional hole gas. Moreover, we give a
detailed anaysis of electron zitterbewegung in quantum wires which appear to be
particularly suited for experimentally observing this effect.
