Journal of Nonlinear Optical Physics & Materials
Inhomogeneous and transverse field effects on time delayed optical bistability inside and outside the rotating wave approximation
Yasser Amoun Sharaby, Stephen Lynch, Sarah Hassan
Abstract
This paper is concerned with non-autonomous Maxwell–Bloch equations when subject to a time delay. We investigate the dynamical behavior of an optical bistable system for inhomogeneous Lorentzian broadening and transverse Gaussian field effects interacting with a single mode ring cavity both inside and outside the rotating wave approximation. Results show that the known bistable behavior of the device can be affected by instabilities. However, in some cases, for instance, when the incident Gaussian laser beam waist is less than that of cylindrical atomic sample, a large butterfly hysteresis is demonstrated in the fundamental field component. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first time that such behavior has been demonstrated.