Optical bistability in reflection from a nonlinear scattering medium

Nikolai N Rozanov, Galina V. Khodova

P. W. E. Smith, W. J. Tomlinson, P. J. Maloney

G. B. Altshuler, Vadim S. Ermolaev, M. V. INO-CHUKIN +1 more

Wave propagation through a Fabry-Perot interferometer filled with a nonlinear scattering heterogeneous medium is considered. Conditions were found under which the interferometer possesses bistable transmittance and reflectance. Experimental results demonstrating the predicted effects are presented for an interferometer filled with a glass-particles suspension in a nonlinear liquid. Attractive features of this type of bistable device based on nonlinear scattering are discussed.

Yasabu Ayall

P. Martinot, S. Laval, A. Köster

The excitation of surface plasmon by attenuated total reflection can be used to get a bistable optical device. As the incident light beam propagates through a nonlinear medium, any intensity variation tunes the plasmon excitation through resonance. Furthermore, the superposition of the incident and reflected beams induces a feedback and allows bistable operation.

G. S. Agarwal, Subhasish Dutta Gupta

Wysin et al1 suggested that the local field enhancement near a metal surface which occurs if surface plasmons are excited in a metal film, can be useful for observing optical bistability arising from the nonlinearity of the Kerr medium. Other geometrical arrangements2 have also been suggested. These studies assume plane waves in the nonlinear medium and use the Fresnel formulae for reflection and refraction from a layered medium but with linear refractive index replaced by the nonlinear refractive index. This assumes that the fields in the medium are homogeneous. However if surface plasmons are excited, then the fields are inhomogeneous and one has the problem of reflection and refraction from an inhomogeneous layered medium. The inhomogeneity is to be determined self consistently. Thus a proper treatment of optical bistability with surface plasmons should use the nonlinear solutions of the wave equation in Kerr medium. This is what we do in this paper.