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Applied Physics Letters

Optical bistability due to induced absorption: Propagation dynamics of excitation profiles

S. W. Koch, H. E. Schmidt, H. Haug

Published Nov 1, 1984• 40 citations
Publisher

Abstract

For an optically bistable system with induced absorption the transport equations for the light intensity and the excitation density are solved. Under pulse operation a kink in the excitation density is found, which moves discontinuously in the beam direction and causes a sawtooth variation in the transmitted intensity.
DOI
10.1063/1.95465

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Koch et al.1 have solved the transport equations for the light intensity and the excitation density for a system that exhibits increasing absorption2 optical bistability. Under pulse operation a kink in the excitation density is predicted, which moves discontinuously in the beam direction and causes a saw-tooth variation in the transmitted intensity. Herein is reported the first observation of these kinks which emphasize the local nature of increasing absorption optical bistabillty. Kinks illustrate well the intrinsic difference between increasing absorption optical bistability and optical bistability that depends on external feedback, where a longitudinal discontinuity cannot occur.

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Koch et al.1 have solved the transport equations for the light intensity and the excitation density for a system that exhibits increasing absorption2 optical bistability. Under pulse operation a kink in the excitation density is predicted, which moves discontinuously in the beam direction and causes a saw-tooth variation in the transmitted intensity. Herein is reported the first observation of these kinks which emphasize the local nature of increasing absorption optical bistabillty. Kinks illustrate well the intrinsic difference between increasing absorption optical bistability and optical bistability that depends on external feedback, where a longitudinal discontinuity cannot occur.
Koch et al.1 have solved for the laser light intensity and the excitation density as a function of time and space (in the beam direction) in a semiconductor doped glass that exhibits increasing absorption2 optical bistability under pulsed operation. A kink in the excitation density that propagates as a discontinuity in the beam direction and manifests itself as a sawtooth variation in the output intensity is predicted. Gibbs et al.3 reported the first experimental observation of kinks in a sharp cut color filter. Kinks that are an emphatic illustration of the local nature of increasing absorption optical bistability are presented. Furthermore, kinks demonstrate an intrinsic dissimilarity between increasing absorption optical bistability and bistability dependent upon external feedback, where a longitudinal discontinuity cannot occur. If the input is an increasing ramp, then the front part of the sample reaches the condition, carrier density, and temperature, for switching down before the remainder, whose light intensity is reduced by absorption in the front. The discontinuity in the excitation density develops as a consequence of competition between transverse thermal conduction and heating of the sample by increasing absorption in the shielded back part of the sample. The number of discontinuities is limited by the pulse rise time, sample length, and conduction time, which scale as the square of the beam radius.
Recently, we predicted1) that partial sample switching can occur in a system showing resonatorless optical bistability due to induced absorption. For an increasing intensity of the incident light, a stepwise propagation of the kink in the excitation profile takes place. In the meantime, the corresponding modulation of the transmitted light has been observed in sharp-cut color filters2). Here, we present an in-depth study of the structure, formation and motion of the kinks. We supplement and expand our original numerical investigations1) by detailed analytical studies. We show that the kink profile may be approximated by a soliton structure if the diffusion of the excitation density is taken into account. Furthermore, we present some simple estimates for the kink propagation.