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Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference

Measurements of first-passage time in a bistable diode laser amplifier

Zeqi Pan, M. Dagenais

Published May 12, 1991• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Optical bistability is an example of a first-order phase transition in a system far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Near such a transition, the effects of fluctuations might grow and even dominate tire dynamic behavior of a system. In such a case, a statistical description must be applied, and noise must be taken into account explicitly. Fluctuations can arise from various sources. Two types of noise, additive and multiplicative, have been identified in nonequilibrium systems.1

Related papers

Use of an electronic model as a guideline in experiments on transient optical bistability

Wulfhard K. Lange

Introduction The transient behavior of nonlinear optical resonators which display bistability and its reaction to fluctuations of system parameters are of extreme importance in all possible applications of these devices. Moreover, however, studies on these processes may give insight into some more general aspects of the behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems. In fact it has been emphasized in the early stages of the development of the field that optically bistable systems, in a suitable model, may exhibit a first-order phase transition (Bonifacio and Lugiato, 1978). Since the threshold behavior of a laser can be described as an example of a second-order phase transition (Haken, 1964,1975; see also Haken, 1977), optical bistability in (passive) nonlinear resonators complements nicely lasers as nonlinear dissipative systems in optics. Both types of optical systems are easily accessible to measurements, and the time scales coming into play are convenient for detailed experimental studies of the dynamics. It is worth mentioning that there is a close connection between laser operation and optical bistability in nonlinear (passive) resonators (see Lugiato, 1984). The standard single-mode laser model with distributed losses (Haken, 1970; Sargent, Scully and Lamb, 1974) can be generalized to include the effect of an external field that continuously drives the atoms within the optical resonator. The standard model of absorptive bistability, the Bonifacio–Lugiato model, is a special case of this generalized model. It represents the situation of a pumping mechanism being absent.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Apr 6, 1989•0 citations

Fluctuations in Optical Bistability: Experiment with Shot Noise

S. L. McCall, Seth Ovadia, H. M. Gibbs +2 more

The behavior of an optical bistable system in which the fluctuations play the dominant role has been studied on the basis of a Fokker-Planck description by Schenzle and Brand.1 However, all the analyses so far approximate the fluctuations as arising from a constant external noise source described by a δ-correlated, Gaussian random process.2,3 In this paper intensity-dependent shot noise fluctuations of a bistable system are experimentally studied for the first time, using a hybrid bistable optical device, and analyzed by a simple “ladder" model that fits the data well.

Topical Meeting on Optical Bistability (OB)•Jan 1, 1983•0 citations

Noisy dynamics in optically bistable systems

E. Arimondo, Daniel Hennequin, P. Glorieux

Introduction Lasers are part of a large class of non-linear systems which covers a great deal of scientific domains, including physics, chemistry, biology, sociology, etc. All these non-linear systems have common properties and present universal features which become more and more extensive as new studies are performed. In recent years, the interest in these non-linear systems has considerably increased. In particular, it is now well established that the role of fluctuations in non-equilibrium systems is far more relevant than in systems at thermodynamical equilibrium, and the study of their influence on stationary and transient states has become very important. Among the different aspects presented by the non-linearity in lasers, two of them will be particularly studied here: (i) The first one is the optical bistability (OB). An optical system is bistable if it has two output states I for the same value of the excitation A over some range of excitation values (see Gibbs, 1985, for a recent review). A typical response curve of such a system is given in Figure 5.1. Here, the system is defined as bistable between A ↓ and A ↑ , where the effectively occupied state depends on the history of the input parameter (see the caption to Figure 5.1). If OB is a common phenomenon in different fields, the OB transient phenomena have far more general features.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Apr 6, 1989•4 citations

Optical bistability switching with external noise

E. Arimondo, Didier Dangoisse, Leone Fronzoni +2 more

In a bistable system the switching time between the off and the on states is a measure of noise and fluctuations. For a CO2 laser containing a molecular absorber, the distribution of the switching times has been measured at different noise levels in the control parameter. The first passage time from the Fokker‐Planck equation has been compared to the experiment.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 1987•2 citations

From near-integrable to far-from-integrable: A unified picture of thermalization and heat transport

Weicheng Fu, Zhen Wang, Yisen Wang +2 more

Whether and how a system approaches equilibrium is a central issue in nonequilibrium statistical physics, underpinning our understanding of both thermalization and heat transport. Bogoliubov's three-stage (initial, kinetic, and hydrodynamic) evolution hypothesis provides a qualitative framework, but quantitative advances have mostly been restricted to near-integrable systems such as dilute gases. In this work, we investigate the relaxation dynamics of a one-dimensional diatomic hard-point gas and present a phase diagram that comprehensively characterizes relaxation behavior across the full parameter space, from near-integrable to far-from-integrable regimes. We first analyze thermalization (local energy relaxation in nonequilibrium states) and identify three universal dynamical regimes: (1) In the near-integrable regime, kinetic processes dominate (initial + kinetic phase), local energy relaxation decays exponentially, and the thermalization time τ scales with perturbation strength δ as τ ∝ δ − 2 . (2) In the far-from-integrable regime, hydrodynamic effects dominate (initial + hydrodynamic phase), local energy relaxation follows power-law decay, and thermalization time scales linearly with system size N . (3) In the intermediate regime, Bogoliubov phase emerges, marked by the transition from kinetic to hydrodynamic relaxation. The phase diagram further reveals that hydrodynamic behavior can emerge even in small systems when the system is sufficiently far from the integrable regime, challenging the conventional view that such effects are only significant in large systems. In the thermodynamic limit, the system's relaxation behavior depends on the order in which the limits ( N → ∞ or δ → 0 ) are taken. We then turn to heat transport (decay of heat-current fluctuations in equilibrium) and demonstrate that its behavior is fully consistent with the thermalization process, leading to the first unified theoretical description of thermalization and heat transport. Our results establish a comprehensive view of relaxation in classical many-body systems and suggest a route for studying similar dynamics in quantum systems, highlighting universal scaling laws and the interplay of kinetic and hydrodynamic processes across integrability regimes.

arXiv:2508.15566•Physical Review Research•Feb 25, 2026•0 citations

Dynamical hysteresis in a bistable semiconductor laser-amplifier system

Angela Hohl, Rajarshi Roy

Optical bistability in a semiconductor laser-amplifier system has been investigated previously and found to exhibit switching at very low intensities.

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1993•0 citations
Optical bistability is an example of a first-order phase transition in a system far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Near such a transition, the effects of fluctuations might grow and even dominate tire dynamic behavior of a system. In such a case, a statistical description must be applied, and noise must be taken into account explicitly. Fluctuations can arise from various sources. Two types of noise, additive and multiplicative, have been identified in nonequilibrium systems.1
Introduction The transient behavior of nonlinear optical resonators which display bistability and its reaction to fluctuations of system parameters are of extreme importance in all possible applications of these devices. Moreover, however, studies on these processes may give insight into some more general aspects of the behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems. In fact it has been emphasized in the early stages of the development of the field that optically bistable systems, in a suitable model, may exhibit a first-order phase transition (Bonifacio and Lugiato, 1978). Since the threshold behavior of a laser can be described as an example of a second-order phase transition (Haken, 1964,1975; see also Haken, 1977), optical bistability in (passive) nonlinear resonators complements nicely lasers as nonlinear dissipative systems in optics. Both types of optical systems are easily accessible to measurements, and the time scales coming into play are convenient for detailed experimental studies of the dynamics. It is worth mentioning that there is a close connection between laser operation and optical bistability in nonlinear (passive) resonators (see Lugiato, 1984). The standard single-mode laser model with distributed losses (Haken, 1970; Sargent, Scully and Lamb, 1974) can be generalized to include the effect of an external field that continuously drives the atoms within the optical resonator. The standard model of absorptive bistability, the Bonifacio–Lugiato model, is a special case of this generalized model. It represents the situation of a pumping mechanism being absent.
The behavior of an optical bistable system in which the fluctuations play the dominant role has been studied on the basis of a Fokker-Planck description by Schenzle and Brand.1 However, all the analyses so far approximate the fluctuations as arising from a constant external noise source described by a δ-correlated, Gaussian random process.2,3 In this paper intensity-dependent shot noise fluctuations of a bistable system are experimentally studied for the first time, using a hybrid bistable optical device, and analyzed by a simple “ladder" model that fits the data well.
Introduction Lasers are part of a large class of non-linear systems which covers a great deal of scientific domains, including physics, chemistry, biology, sociology, etc. All these non-linear systems have common properties and present universal features which become more and more extensive as new studies are performed. In recent years, the interest in these non-linear systems has considerably increased. In particular, it is now well established that the role of fluctuations in non-equilibrium systems is far more relevant than in systems at thermodynamical equilibrium, and the study of their influence on stationary and transient states has become very important. Among the different aspects presented by the non-linearity in lasers, two of them will be particularly studied here: (i) The first one is the optical bistability (OB). An optical system is bistable if it has two output states I for the same value of the excitation A over some range of excitation values (see Gibbs, 1985, for a recent review). A typical response curve of such a system is given in Figure 5.1. Here, the system is defined as bistable between A ↓ and A ↑ , where the effectively occupied state depends on the history of the input parameter (see the caption to Figure 5.1). If OB is a common phenomenon in different fields, the OB transient phenomena have far more general features.
Whether and how a system approaches equilibrium is a central issue in nonequilibrium statistical physics, underpinning our understanding of both thermalization and heat transport. Bogoliubov's three-stage (initial, kinetic, and hydrodynamic) evolution hypothesis provides a qualitative framework, but quantitative advances have mostly been restricted to near-integrable systems such as dilute gases. In this work, we investigate the relaxation dynamics of a one-dimensional diatomic hard-point gas and present a phase diagram that comprehensively characterizes relaxation behavior across the full parameter space, from near-integrable to far-from-integrable regimes. We first analyze thermalization (local energy relaxation in nonequilibrium states) and identify three universal dynamical regimes: (1) In the near-integrable regime, kinetic processes dominate (initial + kinetic phase), local energy relaxation decays exponentially, and the thermalization time τ scales with perturbation strength δ as τ ∝ δ − 2 . (2) In the far-from-integrable regime, hydrodynamic effects dominate (initial + hydrodynamic phase), local energy relaxation follows power-law decay, and thermalization time scales linearly with system size N . (3) In the intermediate regime, Bogoliubov phase emerges, marked by the transition from kinetic to hydrodynamic relaxation. The phase diagram further reveals that hydrodynamic behavior can emerge even in small systems when the system is sufficiently far from the integrable regime, challenging the conventional view that such effects are only significant in large systems. In the thermodynamic limit, the system's relaxation behavior depends on the order in which the limits ( N → ∞ or δ → 0 ) are taken. We then turn to heat transport (decay of heat-current fluctuations in equilibrium) and demonstrate that its behavior is fully consistent with the thermalization process, leading to the first unified theoretical description of thermalization and heat transport. Our results establish a comprehensive view of relaxation in classical many-body systems and suggest a route for studying similar dynamics in quantum systems, highlighting universal scaling laws and the interplay of kinetic and hydrodynamic processes across integrability regimes.