Some Nonlinear Properties of Pulse Propagation

A. V. Gulyaev, Olga V. Tikhonova

The propagation of ultrashort few-cycle laser pulses through a quantum nonlinear medium with resonant properties is studied using the method of slowly varying amplitudes with allowance for dispersion effects. A self-consistent system of nonlinear wave equation for the evolution of laser field and the nonstationary Schrödinger equation that determines the material polarization response is numerically solved. Specific features of the propagation of laser pulse caused by a relatively large spectral width and the nonadiabatic character of the laser pulse are established. The rise of the slowly dumping polarization at the eigenfrequency of the medium and the consequent stretching of the laser pulse are observed. The role of the resonant absorption of the laser energy in the medium is analyzed. The nonlinear spectral broadening is demonstrated for the laser pulse propagating through the medium.

Sami A. Shakir

Alvin Katz, R. R. Alfano

Laleh Mokhtarpour

Optical experiments reveal the fact that real laser pulses have random fluctuations in their amplitude and phase that crucially affect pulse evolution. Statistical optics considers the random nature of light to give a more realistic description of laser pulses behavior. Generation of ultrashort pulses, operating at frequencies close to internal transition frequencies of medium atoms, motivated the growing interest in studying on-resonance light-matter interactions. Moreover, there exist optical phenomena that only occur at optical resonance. Thus, near resonance light-matter interactions are of great importance. In this dissertation, statistical properties of ultrashort pulses propagating in different linear and nonlinear media near optical resonance is studied. Various partially coherent pulses are simulated and effects of initial statistical properties of pulses on their propagation in resonant absorbing and amplifying media are explored. The research performed throughout this thesis leads to following results. 1- Various classes of ultrashort self-similar partially coherent pulses are explored along with closed form expressions for their correlation functions. Also, the evolution of coherence properties of pulses upon their short-distance and long-distance propagation is investigated. 2- Generic partially coherent pulses are simulated and their global and local correlation properties upon propagation in resonant linear absorber media are studied. The evolution of the coherence functions of pulses shows that partially coherent pulses are strongly affected by the medium regarding to their coherence levels. A correlation area theorem is also derived to describe global correlation properties of stochastic pulses propagating in such media. 3- Evolution of small-area pulse coherence properties, propagating in linear amplifiers near optical resonance, is studied. Our simulation results reveal that more coherent pulses are amplified more effectively by the medium than are their less coherent counterparts. 4- Propagation of partially coherent pulses in resonant, inhomogenously broadened nonlinear media is simulated. Stochastic pulses of different coherence levels are generated to investigate effects of initial properties of pulses on their long-term evolution. We also provide evidence of self-induced transparency phenomena and soliton formation for relatively coherent pulses. Also, evolution of the coherence functions reveal that low-coherence pulses lose their coherence level upon propagation faster than do highly coherent pulses.

Zhiyuan Yang, Amitabh Joshi, Rena J. Kasumova +1 more

The propagation of probe electromagnetic waves has been investigated in a heterostructure formed by layers having linear and nonlinear optical properties. The appearance of a forbidden bandgap for the probe electromagnetic field induced by another control electromagnetic field has been shown that leads to the trapping of the probe pulse inside the structure. Switching off the control field leads to resuming the propagation of the probe pulse. Implementation of nonlinear layer has been suggested.

Hari Prakash, G. S. Bhatnagar