Coherent pulse propagation and interference effects of small area pulses in atomic Rydberg states

Summary form only given. Coherent propagation of small area femtosecond pulses in a dispersive medium leads to strong coherent interactions between the driving field and the excited atoms if the relaxation times of the medium are long compared with the pulse length. As a resuit, the shape of the propagating pulse will be characteristically modified. By use of atomic Rydberg states as the dispersive medium, a systematic study of coherent pulse propagation and interference effects can be performed.