Switching Of Reflection Of Light At Nonlinear Interfaces
A. E. Kaplan, P. W. E. Smith, W. J. Tomlinson
The reflection of light at the interface between linear and nonlinear media can provide fundamentally novel nonlinear effects such as nonlinear switching from total internal reflection to partial transmission, bleaching of the interface, and bistability. The nonlinear interface is the simplest switching and bistable optical device. Unlike bistable Fabry-Perot resonators, it allows one to use broadband sources of light and remove resonant restrictions on frequency tuning, and offers potentials to attain high operating speed. Experimental demonstration of those effects shows good agreement with some of the predictions of plane-wave theory. Some of the experimental results as well as computer simulation, however, show a new feature of the phenomenon which requires further exploration.
Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Aug 2, 1982•4 citations