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Springer proceedings in physics

Cross-Trapping Optical Bistability of Two Counter-Propagating Beams in Sodium Vapor

A. Mysyrowicz, Kuochou Tai, H. M. Gibbs, Nasser N. Peyghambarian

Published Jan 1, 1986• 2 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1007/978-3-642-46580-2_54

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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.

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Optical bistability and non absorption resonance in atomic sodium

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Springer eBooks•Apr 6, 2008•0 citations
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.
A transverse optical bistability is defined here as a bistability that would not occur with a plane-wave input, i.e., it depends crucially upon the radial variations in the input. Such bistabilities are characterized by much more pronounced changes in transverse profiles than in total transmission. An optical cavity is not required, making such systems good candidates for continuous wave studies of delayed-feedback instabilities which require a round-trip time longer than the medium response time. Trapping bistability and diffraction-free-encoding bistability are two limiting cases of transverse optical bistabilities. Trapping bistability occurs only for a long self-focusing nonlinear medium and arises from self-trapping of a single beam with a single feedback mirror or from cross trapping of two counterpropagating beams. In the diffraction-free-encoding case, diffraction is negligible through the portion of the nonlinear medium performing the encoding, but it is significant through any remaining medium and in the free-space propagation to the mirror and back. This paper is organized as follows: The physics of transverse optical bistabilities is summarized in Section I. Theoretical models are presented in Section II. A thin-sample-encoding (TSE) rings model is defined and shown not only to predict transverse bistability but also to account for the interference rings observed to accompany TSE bistability; it also yields delayed-feedback instabilities with a rich bifurcation sequence. Transverse bistability using a short length of sodium vapor is reported under TSE and DFE conditions in Section III. Recently it was discovered that TSE bistability has been seen only when the feedback beam is displaced from the input by about one beam diameter at the sodium. It remains to be determined just how much the nonconcentric feedback assists the concentric bistability predicted by the TSE rings model. A delayed-feedback instability with a period of twice the round-trip time is also seen.