On periodic solutions and attractors for the Maxwell--Bloch equations

Abstract

We consider the Maxwell-Bloch system which is a finite-dimensional approximation of the coupled nonlinear Maxwell-Schr\"odinger equations. The approximation consists of one-mode Maxwell field coupled to two-level molecule. We construct time-periodic solutions to the factordynamics which is due to the symmetry gauge group. For the corresponding solutions to the Maxwell--Bloch system, the Maxwell field, current and inversion are time-periodic, while the wave function acquires a unit factor in the period. The proofs rely on high-amplitude asymptotics of the Maxwell field and a development of suitable methods of differential topology: the transversality and orientation arguments. We also prove the existence of the global compact attractor.