On the connection between lossless propagation and pulse profile

George L. Lamb

Marek J. Konopnicki, P. D. Drummond, Joseph H. Eberly

George L. Lamb

Various coherent-optical-pulse profiles are known to exhibit lossless propagation during transmission through a resonant atomic medium. It is shown that the requirement of lossless propagation provides asymptotic information that is sufficient to determine these profiles by the inverse method. Pulse profiles are obtained as solutions to the Marchenko equation. The analysis is applied explicitly to the propagation of $2\ensuremath{\pi}$, $4\ensuremath{\pi}$, and $0\ensuremath{\pi}$ pulses in an inhomogeneously broadened medium.

Erwin Louis Hahn

David J. Kaup, L. R. Scacca

The generation of 0π pulses in coherent pulse propagation is studied for a simple initial pulse profile consisting of two separated square pulses with one inverted to give a total pulse area of zero. When the two pulses are close together, it is found that the threshold for lossless propagation occurs at an absolute area of 21/2π. But as the pulses become farther separated, one finds two thresholds. The first one occurs for an absolute area of about π and the second one at about 2π. Although one can have lossless propagation occurring for the absolute area between π and 2π, it is accomplished only by generating very low amplitude 0π pulses. It is only after the second threshold, 2π, is achieved that one can expect to find moderate to large amplitude 0π pulses, and these may be accompanied by several low amplitude 0π pulses.

Sami A. Shakir