© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

Physical Review A

Real-time dissipation of optical pulses in passive dielectrics

Scott Alan Glasgow, Michael J. Ware

Published Oct 16, 2009• 9 citations

Abstract

We discuss the inevitable dissipation of energy that must accompany the creation of a pulse-medium excitation state in a passive dielectric. We show that there is a minimum amount of energy that an optical pulse must deposit in the medium to create a given pulse-medium state and that energy deposited beyond this minimum value must be dissipated in the medium. We compare this notion of dissipation to a related concept found by determining the fraction of energy stored in a medium that is irrecoverable by future fields. These two notions of dissipation are model-independent and form upper and lower bounds for real-time loss. Any model-dependent notion of loss that falls outside these bounds has serious conceptual difficulties. We show that a traditional notion of real-time loss based on a multiple-Lorentz oscillator model fails to give reasonable results in classes of passive linear media near EIT, while the notions of loss we introduce give sensible results for all passive media.

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.80.043817

Related papers

Real-Time Determination of Recoverable Energy in Optical Pulse Propagation

Michael J. Ware, Justin B. Peatross, Scott Alan Glasgow

We present a general method for calculating the fraction of energy stored in a medium that is transferable to an optical pulse. We also calculate the minimum energy required to create a pulse/medium excitation.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations

Optimal electromagnetic energy transmission and real-time dissipation in extended media

Scott Alan Glasgow, Michael J. Ware

Pulse reshaping effects that give rise to fast and slow light phenomena are inextricably linked to the dynamics of energy exchange between the pulse and the propagation medium. Energy that is dissipated from the pulse can no longer participate in this exchange process, but previous methods of calculating real-time dissipation are not valid for extended propagation media. We present a method for calculating real-time dissipation that is valid for electromagnetic pulse propagation in extended media. This method allows one to divide the energy stored in an extended medium into the portion that can be later transmitted out of the medium, and that portion which must be lost to either dissipation or reflection.

Optics Express•Feb 19, 2014•1 citation

Adiabatic Dynamical Control Physics of Dielectric Media

R. Grobe

We summarize recent developments in the area of the coherent propagation of laser pulses through dielectric media.We will show that the principle of dynamical adiabaticity opens new avenues to control the non-perturbative .and resonant interaction between two laser pulses and a three-level medium.Examples include the formation of stable wave forms that can travel through optical dielectric media in a loss-free manner with arbitrary pulse shapes, novel possibilities to store optical information in dielectric media in the form of spatially dependent excitations and techniques to exploit this information to control laser pulse envelopes.

Acta Physica Polonica A•Jan 1, 1998•3 citations

Quantum Optics in Oscillator Media

L. Knöll, Ulf Leonhardt

A quantum theory of the optical field in presence of a linear dispersive medium with losses representing a passive optical device is given. The medium is modelled by quantum oscillators coupled to thermal reservoirs. Time-ordered correlation functions of the optical field can be expressed by integrals of time-ordered source operators multiplied by classical field propagators which are influenced by dispersion and loss effects. Additionally correlation functions of thermal source quantities are needed. For a dielectric layer the propagator is derived, and some simple applications are discussed.

Journal of Modern Optics•Jun 1, 1992•36 citations

Loss induced dynamics of optical pulses in saturable nonlinear media

Golam Ali Sekh

We consider pulse propagation in a saturable nonlinear coupler whose other arm is dissipative and other is transparent. A flow of energy from transparent to dissipative arm takes place for weak value of dissipation and the coupler losses its energy. The energy loss of the coupler reduces for strong dissipation. This energy loss depends on the saturable nonlinearity. We find that the flow of relative energy at the output of a finite-sized coupler has a peak at a particular value of nonlinear strength. The peak value decreases with the increase of dissipation and it vanishes for stronger dissipation due to Zeno effect.

arXiv:2609.22905•Sep 19, 2026•0 citations

Role of the instantaneous spectrum on pulse propagation in causal linear dielectrics

Justin B. Peatross, Michael J. Ware, Scott Alan Glasgow

A model-independent theorem demonstrates how a causal linear dielectric medium responds to the instantaneous spectrum, that is, the spectrum of the electric field pulse that is truncated at each new instant (as a given locale in the medium experiences the pulse). This process leads the medium to exchange energy with the front of a pulse differently than with the back as the instantaneous spectrum laps onto or off of nearby resonances. So-called superluminal pulse propagation in either absorbing or amplifying media as well as highly subluminal pulse propagation are understood qualitatively and quantitatively within this context.

Journal of the Optical Society of America A•Jul 1, 2001•21 citations

We discuss the inevitable dissipation of energy that must accompany the creation of a pulse-medium excitation state in a passive dielectric. We show that there is a minimum amount of energy that an optical pulse must deposit in the medium to create a given pulse-medium state and that energy deposited beyond this minimum value must be dissipated in the medium. We compare this notion of dissipation to a related concept found by determining the fraction of energy stored in a medium that is irrecoverable by future fields. These two notions of dissipation are model-independent and form upper and lower bounds for real-time loss. Any model-dependent notion of loss that falls outside these bounds has serious conceptual difficulties. We show that a traditional notion of real-time loss based on a multiple-Lorentz oscillator model fails to give reasonable results in classes of passive linear media near EIT, while the notions of loss we introduce give sensible results for all passive media.

Pulse reshaping effects that give rise to fast and slow light phenomena are inextricably linked to the dynamics of energy exchange between the pulse and the propagation medium. Energy that is dissipated from the pulse can no longer participate in this exchange process, but previous methods of calculating real-time dissipation are not valid for extended propagation media. We present a method for calculating real-time dissipation that is valid for electromagnetic pulse propagation in extended media. This method allows one to divide the energy stored in an extended medium into the portion that can be later transmitted out of the medium, and that portion which must be lost to either dissipation or reflection.

We summarize recent developments in the area of the coherent propagation of laser pulses through dielectric media.We will show that the principle of dynamical adiabaticity opens new avenues to control the non-perturbative .and resonant interaction between two laser pulses and a three-level medium.Examples include the formation of stable wave forms that can travel through optical dielectric media in a loss-free manner with arbitrary pulse shapes, novel possibilities to store optical information in dielectric media in the form of spatially dependent excitations and techniques to exploit this information to control laser pulse envelopes.

A quantum theory of the optical field in presence of a linear dispersive medium with losses representing a passive optical device is given. The medium is modelled by quantum oscillators coupled to thermal reservoirs. Time-ordered correlation functions of the optical field can be expressed by integrals of time-ordered source operators multiplied by classical field propagators which are influenced by dispersion and loss effects. Additionally correlation functions of thermal source quantities are needed. For a dielectric layer the propagator is derived, and some simple applications are discussed.

We consider pulse propagation in a saturable nonlinear coupler whose other arm is dissipative and other is transparent. A flow of energy from transparent to dissipative arm takes place for weak value of dissipation and the coupler losses its energy. The energy loss of the coupler reduces for strong dissipation. This energy loss depends on the saturable nonlinearity. We find that the flow of relative energy at the output of a finite-sized coupler has a peak at a particular value of nonlinear strength. The peak value decreases with the increase of dissipation and it vanishes for stronger dissipation due to Zeno effect.

A model-independent theorem demonstrates how a causal linear dielectric medium responds to the instantaneous spectrum, that is, the spectrum of the electric field pulse that is truncated at each new instant (as a given locale in the medium experiences the pulse). This process leads the medium to exchange energy with the front of a pulse differently than with the back as the instantaneous spectrum laps onto or off of nearby resonances. So-called superluminal pulse propagation in either absorbing or amplifying media as well as highly subluminal pulse propagation are understood qualitatively and quantitatively within this context.