Pulse propagation in SF 6 has been investigated using 200-nsec pulses of a C0 2 laser. Operating at A. = 10.53 jxni (PI4 transition) we have observed a breakup of the pulse envelope, an oscillatory energy transmission, and an energy-dependent pulse delay. We interpret our data in terms of the existing theory of self-induced transparency; the corresponding Bloch-type equations were derived assuming thermal equilibrium between rotational M sublevels.
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