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Soviet Journal of Quantum Electronics

Coherent effects in the propagation of ultrashort light pulses in resonant media. Part I (review)

I A Poluéktov, Yurii M Popov, V S Roĭtberg

Published Apr 30, 1974• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A review is given of the investigations of the coherent interaction of light pulses with resonantly absorbing two-level media. An analysis is made of the self-induced transparency discovered by McCall and Hahn and of its importance in quantum electronics. Bleached states associated with the phase modulation are considered in detail. A comparison is made with the theory of nonlinear waves of different physical origin. A review is given of some possible physical applications associated with the discriminatory nature of the transmission and delay of light in the self-induced transparency effect.

DOI
10.1070/qe1974v004n04abeh006773

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Reviews of Modern Physics•Jul 12, 2005•5,187 citations
A review is given of the investigations of the coherent interaction of light pulses with resonantly absorbing two-level media. An analysis is made of the self-induced transparency discovered by McCall and Hahn and of its importance in quantum electronics. Bleached states associated with the phase modulation are considered in detail. A comparison is made with the theory of nonlinear waves of different physical origin. A review is given of some possible physical applications associated with the discriminatory nature of the transmission and delay of light in the self-induced transparency effect.
This part of the review deals with coherent effects in the interaction of ultrashort light pulses with media characterized by degenerate transitions, including semiconducting media (in the direct band-band transition region), and with media exhibiting two-photon resonances. It is shown that the self-induced transparency can appear under such conditions and the properties of this effect are studied. A review is made of experimental investigations of the coherent bleaching of various media. The paper ends with a list of the most urgent problems requiring clarification.
A review is given of the current status of the self-induced transparency effect. The McCall–Hahn theory (2π pulses) is considered and its generalization to the case of phase modulation of radiation pulses, degeneracy of transitions, and two-photon resonance is discussed. The relationship with the theory of nonlinear waves, obeying the Korteweg–de Vries equation, is pointed out. The possibility of similar coherent effects in direct interband transitions in semiconductors is discussed. A summary is given of the experimental results demonstrating a strong fall in the absorption and a considerable slowing down of light pulses, typical of the self-induced transparency. Possible physical applications of the effect, based on these properties, are discussed.
A review is given of recent theoretical investigations on coherent propagation and nonlinear interaction of multifrequency ultrashort radiation pulses in resonantly absorbing media. An analysis is made of frequency conversion by parametric interaction and stimulated Raman scattering of laser pulses in resonant three-level media. New ways of controlling the parameters of coherent pulses and the use of multifrequency pulses in the spectroscopy of multilevel media are discussed. The experimental capabilities of the investigated effects are considered.
Exact single-soliton solutions of the modified system of Maxwell-Bloch equations, in which the dipole-dipole interactions of the atoms of a dense resonant medium are taken into account, are obtained. Two propagation regimes are analyzed: “coherent,” where the pulse duration is much shorter than both relaxation times ( T p ≪ T 1 , T 2 ), and “incoherent,” where the pulse duration falls between the relaxation times ( T 2 ≪ T p ≪ T 1 ). It is predicted, for the first time, that soliton propagation of an ultrashort pulse is possible in a dense resonant absorbing medium in an incoherent interaction regime. The differences between the amplitude and phase characteristics of the solitons considered and the corresponding characteristics of the solitons for McCall-Hahn self-induced transparency are noted.
We analyze the phase modulation, or chirping, of coherent lossless light pulses propagating without distortion through resonant absorbers. In order to do this, we generalize the pioneering work of McCall and Hahn in two different directions. In the first place, of course, we abandon their assumption that the phase of the pulses has no temporal dependence. We prove that for slowly varying single pulses, chirping is not possible. However, we describe many multiple-pulse trains which are necessarily chirped, even under the slowly varying envelope restriction, and also describe the envelope modulations which produce large chirps. We show that certain zero-$\ensuremath{\pi}$ chirped pulse trains are contained as special cases of our general results. Our second generalization of the McCall-Hahn work concerns the background material in which the two-level resonant atoms are suspended. We allow the host medium to possess significant nonresonant nonlinearities. We find that undistorted lossless single pulses are possible in such a medium and that they are necessarily chirped.
Coherent preparation by laser light of quantum states of atoms and molecules can lead to quantum interference in the amplitudes of optical transitions. In this way the optical properties of a medium can be dramatically modified, leading to electromagnetically induced transparency and related effects, which have placed gas-phase systems at the center of recent advances in the development of media with radically new optical properties. This article reviews these advances and the new possibilities they offer for nonlinear optics and quantum information science. As a basis for the theory of electromagnetically induced transparency the authors consider the atomic dynamics and the optical response of the medium to a continuous-wave laser. They then discuss pulse propagation and the adiabatic evolution of field-coupled states and show how coherently prepared media can be used to improve frequency conversion in nonlinear optical mixing experiments. The extension of these concepts to very weak optical fields in the few-photon limit is then examined. The review concludes with a discussion of future prospects and potential new applications.