title: Storage and time reversal of light pulses using photon echoes.
abstract: We have studied the temporal profile of photon-echo signals generated by combined gated cw and pulsed dye-laser excitation of the inhomogeneously broadened, 555.6-nm absorption line of (174)Yb vapor. We find that the echo profile is, after time reversal, essentially identical with that of the first excitation pulse. We give a new analysis of this effect. Since time-reversed pulse reproduction should also occur in inhomogeneously broadened solid samples, and since we observe time-reversed reproduced pulses up to 4% as intense as the input pulse, this effect may have important applications in optical signal-processing systems.
authors.forename: N W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rothberg
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Yodh
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Babbitt
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Mossberg