Abstract

A nonlinear oscillator model is used as a prototypical medium for intrinsic optical bistability.¹ The phenomenon of intrinsic optical bistability is so named because the medium does not require the optical feedback of a cavity. In this model we retain dispersive effects and introduce a diffractive coupling of the electromagnetic field amplitude. The threshold of the optical bistable device is insensitive to the Fresnel number, which determines the coupling between field amplitudes at different transverse positions.² This is useful for obtaining reproducible operating characteristics of an array of devices. The medium can be introduced inside a cavity to understand the role of dispersive and diffractive effects in a more fundamental way. The threshold intensity is again insensitive to the Fresnel number. Furthermore, we observe instabilities in the cavity configuration, but no chaotic solutions were found. The periodic instabilities are sensitive functions of the Fresnel number.

© 1989 Optical Society of America