Three-level Atoms as the Intracavity Medium and Atomic Optical Bistability

Seyyed Hossein Asadpour, A. Eslami-Majd

C. Wang, Reeta Vyas

Harry J. Kimble, Albert T. Rosenberger, P. D. Drummond

Harry J. Kimble, Albert T. Rosenberger, P. D. Drummond

Since the first observation of optical bistability in 1976 (1), a large number of investigations of this phenomenon have appeared in the literature (2). Of particular theoretical interest has been the bistable system composed of "two-level" atoms within an optical resonator. While the theory in this case is well-advanced, only recently have experimental results been obtained (3,4). The work that we report is for absorptive bistability with an intracavity medium that approximates a collection of two-level atoms.

Albert T. Rosenberger, Luis A. Orozco, Harry J. Kimble

Self pulsing due to the single-mode instability has been observed in optical bistability.1 This self-pulsing instability has its roots in corresponding instabilities first analyzed for the homogeneously broadened laser. It shares a common physical origin in the intrinsic mechanism by which a strong intracavity field alters the absorption profile of the intracavity medium to produce amplification at frequencies offset from that of the strong field.