title: Soliton interaction in a nonlinear waveguide in the presence of resonances.
abstract: The simultaneous propagation of two optical pulses through a nonlinear dispersive medium composed of a resonant three-level system is investigated. By choosing a soliton of area 4 pi and order N=2 at the pump frequency, together with a weaker pulse with a sech profile at the signal frequency, we show that the pump soliton breaks up into a pair of solitary waves which are cloned to the signal frequency. Due to a combination of coherent population trapping and nonlinear dispersive effects, the pair interacts in a repulsive fashion so that the taller wave travels faster than the shorter one.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió AL 57072-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hickmann