  A light pulse propagating in a suddenly switched on photonic lattice, when
the central frequency lies in the photonic band gap, is an analog of the Rabi
model where the two-level system is the two resonant (i.e. Bragg-coupled)
Fourier modes of the pulse, while the photonic lattice serves as a
monochromatic external field. A simple theory of these Rabi oscillations is
given and confirmed by the numerical solution of the corresponding Maxwell
equations. This is a direct, i.e. temporal, analog of the Rabi effect,
additionally to the spatial analog in optical beam propagation described in
Opt. Lett. 32, 1920 (2007). An additional high-frequency modulation of the Rabi
oscillations reflects the lattice-induced energy transfer between the electric
and magnetic fields of the pulse.
