Optical nutation signals are found to be modified in interesting ways by a short, intense, excitation pulse. In particular, pulses of appropriate character are found to effect a time reversal of the optical nutation signal, i.e., the nutation signal after the short pulse evolves as the mirror image of the nutation signal before the pulse. In ideal cases, all dephasing effects resulting from inhomogeneous broadening are reversed, and a nutation echo occurs when all atoms rephase in the excited state. Various excitation conditions that lead to the time reversal of optical nutation signals are considered, and numerical simulations are compared with experimental results. Finally, the rephasing considered here is compared to that observed in the case of rotary echoes.

• Received 3 March 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.34.1222