Coherent pump dynamics, propagation, transverse, and diffraction effects in three-level superfluorescence and control of light by light

Abstract

A model is presented for the dynamical evolution of superfluorescence from an optically pumped three-level system. The full propagation, transverse, and diffraction effects are taken into account. With the use of a previously developed algorithm, a computational simulation was constructed from this model and results are presented and discussed. In particular, it is shown that the injected coherent pump-pulse initial characteristics, such as on-axis area, temporal and radial width and shape, can have significant deterministic effects on the superfluorescent pulse delay time, peak intensity, temporal width, and shape. Thus, by specifying certain initial properties of the injected pump pulse, the superfluorescent pulse can be shaped and altered. The results predict the conditions under which an injected light pulse of a given frequency can be used to generate, shape, and control a second light pulse of a different frequency via a nonlinear medium, thus demonstrating a new aspect of the phenomenon of light control by light.