Propagation of circularly polarized laser pulses in a degenerate lambda- scheme of quantum levels

Abstract

The conclusions of a theoretical study of the joint propagation in a resonant medium of two laser pulses with the same input intensity and envelope shape are reported. The resonant medium is modeled by the lambda-scheme of inhomogeneously broadened quantum transitions. The cases of opposite and identical directions of circular polarizations of input fields are considered. It is shown that the process of pulse propagation is accompanied by the transfer of energy from the high-frequency radiation component to the low-frequency component, which is resonant to the transition between excited levels of the lambda-scheme. The high-frequency component in the case of different directions of circular polarizations of the input pulses propagates in the medium over a much greater distance than in the case of the same directions of circular polarizations of these pulses. During propagation, the envelopes of the pulse intensities are distorted, and in the case of opposite circular polarizations of the input pulses, the deformation of the envelopes is noticeably less than for the same directions of polarizations of these pulses. In the case of oppo-site directions of circular polarizations of the input fields, both radiations retain their original cir-cular polarization in the medium and are devoid of phase modulation. However, in the case of identical directions of circular polarizations of the input pulses, their radiation in the medium is elliptically polarized waves with a variable eccentricity of the polarization ellipse and the pres-ence of phase modulation.

Speaker

Oleg M. Parshkov
Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov, Russia, Saratov, 410054, ul. Politekhnicheskaya, 77
Russia

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