Distortions of laser pulses in neodymium atomic vapor

An experiment on the simulation of the conditions for propagation of laser pulses in dense neodymium atomic vapor is proposed for the development of a technological setup for the laser separation of the $^{150}$Nd isotope from a kilogram sample of natural mixture. The comparison of waveforms of laser pulses in the presence and in the absence of absorption shows that the absorption predominantly takes place at the leading edge of the pulse. The experimental distortion of the waveform is related to the saturation of absorption. The effect is well described using the calculations based on the formalism of the rate equations.