Abstract

Previous research with acousto-optic hybrid optical/electronic (HOE) bistable devices has been directed towards operation in the first Bragg regime.¹ We have demonstrated several simulations and experiments to study a HOE bistable system in the second Bragg regime. In this bistable system, the acousto-optic device operates in the second order with the light incident at twice the Bragg angle. To achieve optical bistability, the second order diffracted light is detected by a photodetector, amplified with a linear amplifier, summed with a bias voltage, and feedback to the acousto-optic device. The operation of the acousto-optic device can be explained by a set of coupled differential equations. Likewise, the feedback loop can be modeled with a feedback equation. The simultaneous solution of these equations provided our theoretical model. In this talk, we will compare theoretical and experimental results, as well as compare first order and second order operation.

© 1992 Optical Society of America