Manipulation of Light Pulses with Light in Two-level Media

Joyee Ghosh

Rostislav M. Arkhipov, Mikhail Arkhipov, Nikolay N. Rosanov

Unipolar light pulses with non-zero electric area enable ultrafast control of quantum systems, requiring tailored temporal shapes like rectangular pulses for efficient atomic manipulation. Such pulses induce unique phenomena, including dynamic microcavities at resonant transitions in multilevel media. Here, we compare microcavity dynamics in two- and three-level media under rectangular unipolar pulse excitation via numerical solutions of the density matrix and wave equations. Unlike Gaussian pulses, rectangular pulses exhibit starkly different dynamics in a three-level medium, disrupting self-induced transparency-like regimes. Key differences emerge when pulses behave as 2 π pulses, highlighting the impact of the third level on microcavity dynamics. These findings establish rectangular unipolar attosecond pulses as a powerful tool for attosecond-scale quantum control, revealing fundamental limits of few-level approximations in extreme nonlinear optics and opening pathways to coherent light–matter engineering in complex atomic systems.

Andrei I. Maimistov, Yu. M. Sklyarov

A. M. Kamchatnov

Neetu Agrawal, Triranjita Srivastava

In this review, the progress on the research development in electromagnetic wave propagation through temporal/time-varying media is presented. Such media refers to materials or environments whose properties change over time. Therefore, unlike spatial waveguides that manipulate light based on spatial configuration of the structure, the temporal waveguides focus on the evolution of light pulses over time. Understanding temporal media is essential for developing advanced communication protocols, efficient waveguides, and accurate simulations of physical systems, ultimately improving the design and performance of various applications in science and technology. As the controlled light matter interactions in the time domain offers numerous advanced applications for secured optical communication, information processing and ultrafast optics in the realm of quantum technology. The recent advances in light-matter interactions in temporal media have openedexciting avenues for manipulating light at unprecedented levels, leading to novel applications in fields like quantum computing, telecommunications, and material science.

Boris A. Malomed