Slow light in saturable absorbers

Abstract

In connection with the experiments recently achieved on doped crystals, biological samples, doped optical fibers and semiconductor heterostructures, we revisit the theory of the propagation of a pulse-modulated light in a saturable absorber. Explicit analytical expressions of the transmitted pulse are obtained, enabling us to determine the parameters optimizing the time-delay of the transmitted pulse with respect to the incident pulse. We finally compare the maximum fractional delay or figure of merit so attainable to those which have been actually demonstrated in the experiments.

References in corpus (4)

• Wide-bandwidth, tunable, multiple-pulse-width optical delays using slow light in cesium vapor
• Ultraslow light propagation in an inhomogeneously broadened rare-earth ion-doped crystal
• Saturable Absorber, Coherent Population Oscillations, and "Slow Light"
• Pulse Normalisation in Slow-Light Media

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Control of Fano resonances and slow light using Bose-Einstein condensates in a nanocavity
• Optical Precursors with Self-induced Transparency
• On Two Models of the Light Pulse Delay in a Saturable Absorber
• Incoherent "Slow and Fast Light"
• From fast to slow light in a resonantly driven absorbing medium
• Slow light in saturable absorbers : Progress in the resolution of a controversy