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Physical review. B, Condensed matter

Exact results for the scattering of electromagnetic waves with a nonlinear film

K. M. Leung

Published Feb 15, 1989• 41 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Exact analytical results for the scattering of a TE electromagnetic wave with a nonlinear thin film is derived. We assume that the incident wave is monochromatic, and that the film is nonabsorbing and has a Kerr-like optical nonlinearity. Among other things, the reflection coefficient is calculated exactly as a function of the incident intensity. Optical bistable and multistable behaviors are found. The phenomena of induced resonances and induced transparency are also discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.39.3590

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TE wave reflection from a Kerr medium: spatial dynamics and bistability

Nyamsuren Ochirbat, Ochirbat Guseelee

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•Mar 2, 2026•0 citations
Exact analytical results for the scattering of a TE electromagnetic wave with a nonlinear thin film is derived. We assume that the incident wave is monochromatic, and that the film is nonabsorbing and has a Kerr-like optical nonlinearity. Among other things, the reflection coefficient is calculated exactly as a function of the incident intensity. Optical bistable and multistable behaviors are found. The phenomena of induced resonances and induced transparency are also discussed.
The optical transmissivity of a mirrorless, nonlinear, absorbing dielectric thin film is investigated numerically. The dielectric function in the film region is dependent on the intensity of the electromagnetic field. Multivalued solutions of transmissivity as a function of incident power are calculated for the steady-state wave equation. The numerical solution is applied to two different model dielectric functions. As the absorption parameter is increased, larger values of incident intensity are required to switch the systems between stable output states. Also, the peak values of transmissivity are reduced as the absorption is increased.
We show that the optical response of a nonlinear dielectric film may exhibit optical bistability even in the thin-film limit. Using a rigorous numerical treatment, we also show that the resonant excitation of nonlinear guided modes propagating along the film leads to switching intensities 104{10}^{4}104 times lower than those obtained with use of the resonances associated with the Airy function.
We analyze transverse-electric (TE) wave reflection at a planar interface between a linear medium and a Kerr nonlinear half-space. Using an amplitude-phase formalism, we derive exact expressions for the reflection coefficient and the incident intensity as functions of the permittivity at the interface. Under total internal reflection, the spatial evolution of the permittivity is described by a first-order differential equation and decays monotonically to the linear value. The incident intensity on the evanescent branch is shown to possess a maximum when 2𝛽2 > 𝜀1 +𝜀𝑙, where 𝛽 is the conserved propagation constant, 𝜀1 the linear permittivity, and 𝜀𝑙 the low-intensity permittivity of the Kerr medium. For intensities between the threshold 𝑆𝑐 and the maximum 𝑆max, three steady states coexist: two evanescent (TIR) solutions (one stable, one unstable) and one propagating solution. The propagating branch rises with an infinite slope at 𝜀 = 𝛽2 (square-root singularity), leading to an ultra-sharp switching transition. The relation between the normalized decay constant 𝜇 and the incident intensity exhibits a folded curve, revealing an “internal” bistability in the TIR regime. Both self-focusing (𝛼 > 0) and self-defocusing (𝛼 < 0) Kerr nonlinearities are treated. The propagation constant 𝛽 appears as a free design parameter, allowing the switching intensity to be tuned through waveguide geometry. These results provide a unified picture of optical bistability at a nonlinear interface, with potential applications in all-optical switching and sensing.
In a recent paper1 I formulated a method for calculating propagation through nonlinear media for a number of nonlinear optical phenomena. This method does not use the SVEA and can therefore solve nonlinear propagation problems when refraction and reflection at the boundary interfaces are important. Here, I report the first calculation using this exact (albeit numerical) method. For this first test of the utility of the method, I have chosen to study optical bistability in a thin film whose index of refraction is intensity dependent.
We analyze transverse-electric (TE) wave reflection at a planar interface between a linear medium and a Kerr nonlinear half-space. Using an amplitude-phase formalism, we derive exact expressions for the reflection coefficient and the incident intensity as functions of the permittivity at the interface. Under total internal reflection, the spatial evolution of the permittivity is described by a first-order differential equation and decays monotonically to the linear value. The incident intensity on the evanescent branch is shown to possess a maximum when 2𝛽2 > 𝜀1 +𝜀𝑙, where 𝛽 is the conserved propagation constant, 𝜀1 the linear permittivity, and 𝜀𝑙 the low-intensity permittivity of the Kerr medium. For intensities between the threshold 𝑆𝑐 and the maximum 𝑆max, three steady states coexist: two evanescent (TIR) solutions (one stable, one unstable) and one propagating solution. The propagating branch rises with an infinite slope at 𝜀 = 𝛽2 (square-root singularity), leading to an ultra-sharp switching transition. The relation between the normalized decay constant 𝜇 and the incident intensity exhibits a folded curve, revealing an “internal” bistability in the TIR regime. Both self-focusing (𝛼 > 0) and self-defocusing (𝛼 < 0) Kerr nonlinearities are treated. The propagation constant 𝛽 appears as a free design parameter, allowing the switching intensity to be tuned through waveguide geometry. These results provide a unified picture of optical bistability at a nonlinear interface, with potential applications in all-optical switching and sensing.