Polarization effects in self-induced transparency theory

Bloch-Maxwell equations, describing the interaction between two-level atoms and the electromagnetic field, are generalized in the case of an atom with degenerate transition 0 ? 1. The degenerate Bloch-Maxwell model has additional discrete degrees of freedom and makes it possible to investigate the polarization properties of resonance optical phenomena. It is shown that the model is completely integrable. The theory of self-induced transparency for pulses whose polarization is a function of space-time variables is developed.