Optical Bistability Based on Self-Focusing

Changde Xie, Dong-Dong Wu, Jhang-Rui Gao +1 more

Wang Liming, Li Chun-Fei, Zhang Zhongxiao +1 more

We demonstrated transverse optical bistability in a red gold colloid[1] experimentally for the first time. The threshold of optical bistability is 300 milliwatts and the switching time is 0.1 milliseconds. The optical bistability is due to the self-focusing effect in the red gold colloid. Figure 1 shows a strong self-focusing effect.

Y. Ron Shen

Nguyen Ba An, Nguyen Trung Dan

John E. Bjorkholm, P. W. E. Smith, W. Tomlinson +3 more

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

Optical bistability based on Self -Focusing of low power CW He-Ne laser radiation ,at the wavelength of 0.632m ,has been experimentally evidence in liquid CS 2 using a new simple and effective technique.New experimental results supporting the hypothesis that optical bistability based on self -focusing of laser radiation occurs in liquid are present in this article.Mirrorless limiting mode is observed too.