Reflection and refraction of a super-Gaussian optical pulse at a moving temporal boundary

Abstract

We investigate the transmission properties of super-Gaussian pulses at a moving temporal boundary. The incident spectrum of super-Gaussian pulses, determined by different shape parameters, affects the reflected and transmitted pulse energy and the sidelobes distribution after crossing the temporal boundary. When the incident pulse is an initial unchirped super-Gaussian pulse or a super-Gaussian pulse with a small chirp parameter, the reflected pulse energy increases and the transmitted pulse energy decreases as the incident pulse shape parameter increases. When the incident pulse with a initial chirp and |C|≥2, the incident pulse spectrum mainlobe energy increases as the shape parameter increases, resulting in reflected pulse energy decreases and transmitted pulse energy increases. This study also discusses the pulse splitting occurs in the anomalous dispersion region. The super-Gaussian pulse sidelobes can theoretically be removed by creating two temporal boundaries.