Resonant interaction of light with a thin film of three-level atoms

Refraction of a double-frequency optical pulse at the interface between two linear dielectrics containing a thin film of resonant atoms is considered. The dynamics of the system is treated based on the model of three-level atoms with the V-type energy diagram. Refraction of short and long (compared with the Rabi oscillation period) pulses is analyzed with allowance for local-field effects. In both cases, the shape of the pulse corresponding to one carrier wave frequency is shown to depend on the energy of the pulse with the other carrier wave frequency. In particular, both the frequency and the depth of the amplitude modulation arising in the refracted pulse are changed.