Topical Meeting on Optical Bistability (OB)
Theoretical Analysis of Transverse and Crosstalk Effects in Thermooptic Absorptive Bistability
Jean Oberlé, J.‐Y. Bigot, A. Daunois
Abstract
Fast switching times in thermooptic bistable elements held by a cw laser beam and driven by an external pulse have been observed [1,2,3]. An overheating of the nonlinear material may occur during the switching. In this case, a complicated switching behavior is observed [4]. This dynamics can be understood if the temporal variation of the medium temperature is calculated [5]. Moreover, in the experiments with CdS platelets, the transport of heat is very important and the complete spatio-temporal dynamics must be taken into account.