Emission of radiation by a resonance medium excited with a variable superluminal velocity

Abstract

Specific properties of the radiation emitted by a spatially modulated resonance medium excited by an ultrashort light pulse propagating through the medium at a variable superluminal velocity are analyzed. In so doing, frequencies different from that of the resonance transition of the medium may appear in the emission spectrum. It is demonstrated that, in contrast to an earlier studied case of medium excitation at constant velocity, variation of the excitation velocity leads to generation of a spectral continuum, the boundaries of which are determined by the range of variation of the medium-excitation velocity.