Abstract

We consider propagation of a pair of ultrashort coherent pulses in V-type medium. Both pulses are supposed to be resonant with corresponding atomic transitions and medium not prepared in a coherent state. It is shown that, in the system under consideration, lasing without inversion is impossible. However, the resonant character of the atom-field interaction yields several novel phenomena. If the strong pump pulse is taken in the form of a 2π-soliton, and the medium is prepared in the ground state, then weak probe pulse propagates there without any absorption and dispersion. The system yields a "pulse locking,” in which the two pulses propagate with equal group velocities. The probe pulse evolves towards the “locked” state independently of its initial shape.

© 1998 Optical Society of America