Nonlinear optical pulse propagation in a semiconductor medium in the transient regime. I. Temporal and spectral effects

The propagation of optical pulses in a semiconductor medium is modeled in the limit where the optical pulse width is assumed to be shorter than the interband recombination time of the semiconductor. Intense pulses cause saturation of the optical transitions, leading to transient changes in absorption and refractive index of the semiconductor. The changes in absorption and refractive index lead to distortions in the spectra of the pulses