Ultrashort optical pulse propagation in a dispersive medium

Propagation of an optical pulse of several femtoseconds’ duration through a dispersive medium is studied. The analysis is carried out using Laplace transform methods, and the inversion is effected numerically by the Dubner–Abate algorithm. Representative calculations are discussed for a four-cycle pulse of 6.6-fsec duration. A qualitative discussion of the semi-infinite wave-train case (Sommerfeld-Brillouin problem) is also given, in terms of a signaling problem for which there are two wave speeds present.