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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Optical bistability due to mutual self-action of counterpropagated light beams

A. E. Kaplan

Published Jan 1, 1981• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We are proposing the theory of optical bistability caused by mutual self-focusing (or defocusing) of light beams, one of which is formed by reflection of the incident beam from a mirror of appropriate size and is propagating in the opposite direction. The reflection provides a strong feedback in the system due to significant increasing of the average nonlinear component of refractive index caused by the reflected beam.

DOI
10.1364/cleo.1981.thk2

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Optical bistability due to mutual self-action of counterpropagated light beams

A. E. Kaplan

IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics•Dec 1, 1981•1 citation
We are proposing the theory of optical bistability caused by mutual self-focusing (or defocusing) of light beams, one of which is formed by reflection of the incident beam from a mirror of appropriate size and is propagating in the opposite direction. The reflection provides a strong feedback in the system due to significant increasing of the average nonlinear component of refractive index caused by the reflected beam.
We experimentally demonstrate a fundamentally new type of intrinsic optical bistability that requires no resonant optical cavity. Operation is based on mutual self-focusing of counterpropagating laser beams in a nonlinear medium. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a fundamentally new type of optical bistability. 1 The operation of this new class of devices is based on self-focusing of light; the feedback required for bistability is provided by an apertured retroreflector. These devices exhibit intrinsic bistability (the feedback is optical) and are related to nonlinear waveguide devices proposed earlier. 2 Self-focusing occurs when a light beam having a nonuniform spatial profile (such as a Gaussian laser beam) and sufficient intensity propagates through a nonlinear medium having an intensity-dependent index of refraction. 3 Previously proposed devices that exhibited
The interaction of two counterpropagating beams in a nonlinear medium leads to many interesting phenomena. One such phenomenon is the occurrence of optical bistability arising from the mutual interaction of the two beams.1 This type of cross-trapping optical bistability is similar to one of those proposed by Kaplan.2 The physics of cross-trapping optical bistability is similar to the self-focusing bistability3 where self-trapping occurs in a single-beam/single-reflector setup. Cross-trapping bistability differs in that it has no external feedback and therefore is the first mirrorless bistability not based on an increasing absorption effect.
Two years ago, the first proposal and demonstration of self-focusing optical bistability was published.1 In this paper it was shown that a self-focused beam in a nonlinear medium would exhibit hysteresis if the beam were reflected back on itself. The effect was demonstrated using a dye laser beam and Na vapor as the nonlinear medium. The optical hysteresis observed is in good qualitative agreement with a recently - published analysis of this system.2 By taking account of the saturation of the nonlinearity, more complex behavior has been predicted.2 This behavior is due to oscillations of the spot size as the self-focused beam propagates through the nonlinear medium. In this paper we report on our experimental studies of optical multistability due to these spot size oscillations.