High intensity pulse propagation in the extreme sharp-line limit

We observe the propagation and reshaping of intense pulses, with a pulse area greater than π, through a highly absorbing medium. Depending on pulse and absorber parameters, both pulse breakup and undistorted pulse propagation are observed. Using a theoretical description of pulse propagation in the sharp-line limit and a multilevel system possessing unequal transition dipole moments, we demonstrate good agreement with the observations.