The decay dynamics of a slab of two-level atoms excited by an ultrashort resonant pulse

The decay dynamics of a slab of two-level atoms excited by an ultrashort resonant pulse are analyzed by means of the eigenmodes determined by the interaction of the resonance with the slab geometry. The node structure in the spatio-temporal excited atom distribution and the forward–backward asymmetry are identified with the decays of individual modes and with interference between adjacent modes.