Physical Review Letters

Intrinsic Optical Bistability in Nonlinear Media

J. A. Goldstone, E. Garmire

Published Aug 27, 1984• 91 citations

Abstract

A general class of optically bistable systems is described which operates without feedback and is based on the intrinsic response of certain nonlinear media. A detailed analysis of one such medium is presented which demonstrates that bistability may result in virtually all macroscopic optical and material parameters.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.53.910

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