Comparison of the effects of unipolar half-cycle and resonant multi-cycle electromagnetic pulses on quantum systems

It is shown that not only multicycle resonant pulses with zero electric area, but also nonresonant unipolar pulses can be used to efficiently excite quantum transitions in a medium. Arguments are presented in favor of the advantages of unipolar pulses for excitation of quantum systems in comparison with resonant radiation. A simple relationship has been found showing that in order to compare the effects of unipolar half-cycle and resonant multicycle pulses on atomic systems. It shows that it is necessary to compare the electric area of a unipolar pulse and the area of the envelope of a bipolar pulse, rather than their energies.