Population density gratings creation and control in resonant medium by half-cycle terahertz pulses

Abstract

Electromagnetically induced gratings (EIG) are created by standing-wave laser field in resonant media. Such gratings can be also created by few-cycle electromagnetic pulses counter-propagating in the medium via coherent Rabi oscillations of atomic inversion. In this case, instantaneous cross-section of the pulses in the medium is not necessary for grating formation. In this paper, we revise our recent results in study of such grating formation and their control by few-cycle pulses coherently propagating in a resonant medium. We demonstrate the grating formation and their control in three-level medium excited by three subcycle THz pulses.