Abstract

Coherent propagation of pulse trains through a two-level absorber has been investigated, from a theoretical viewpoint, by many researchers. These investigations have been based on the self-induced transparenty [1] (SIT) equations with [2-5] and without [6] the assumption of zero relaxation. While these theoretical studies have been very thorough, no corresponding detailed experimental stuides have been reported. In this paper we report the first experimental observation of pulse-train soliton solutions to the SIT equations. It is shown via experiment that an input pulse train, with a rather arbitrary input envelope shape evolves through interaction with a two-level absorber to an analytic, shape-reserving, pulse-train soliton solution to the SIT equations. This is true even though the optical train has been allowed to come to equilibrium for a time much larger than the two-level absorber relaxation time.

© 1996 Optical Society of America