Observation of Optical Nutation in an Active Medium

An intense optical pulse at 10.6 μm, of rise time that is short compared with the inverse bandwidth of an active C${\mathrm{O}}_2$ medium in which it is amplified, has been observed experimentally to attain a sharpened leading edge and attenuated lagging edge. This is an effect attendant upon optical nutation in the C${\mathrm{O}}_2$ medium. Computer solutions are presented for comparison.