Reflection and refraction of light by a system of interfering atomic states

Abstract

The boundary problem of nonlinear optics was investigated for a trial wave reflected (refracted) by an excited region of a nonlinear medium considered as a system of multilevel atoms in the spectrum of which there are two closely-spaced energy levels excited by a powerful quasi-resonant radiation. It is shown that under interference conditions of the atomic states in the field of the trial and resonance waves there exist three types of waves: an inverse wave and two polarization waves. By way of extension of the Ewald-Oseen procedure to this case a formula for the complex refractive index of a nonlinear medium for the three types of waves as well as a generalized extinction theorem have been obtained. It is shown that the trial wave can be amplified without inversion of the interfering atomic states and that the refractive index can be markedly changed at certain concentrations of atoms in the medium. General formulas for the amplitudes of the reflected and refracted waves have been obtained.