Abstract

Frequency-dependent and nonlinear susceptibilities are common in nonlinear optics, but they are scarcely used in coherent resonant pulse propagation because of their complexity. Early studies¹ include the frequency quadratic susceptibilities, but none was proportional to the spectral pulse strength other than in the time-dependent case.² We consider the propagation of short duration pulses through a medium described by an ensemble of resonant two-level atoms embedded in a nonresonant but nonlinear host medium. The nonlinear susceptibility is given by monomial terms of the spectral pulse strength.

© 1987 Optical Society of America