The theory of temporal compression of intense laser pulses in a metal vapor

Numerical simulations of the compression of laser pulses by propagation through a medium of two-level near resonant atoms is presented. The compression of long pulses (>10 ns) whose peak Rabi frequency is comparable to the laser detuning from the atomic transition is addressed. This regime is one in which an accurate description of the physics requires solution of the Maxwell-Bloch equations. A model to investigate nonlinear effects on the compression process has been developed. The analysis begins with a study of the compression of optimally chirped pulses of various fluences. The onset of the nonlinear effects and their ramifications on the compression process are addressed.<
>