Abstract

Optical multistability and optical logic both operate on the principle that light can interact with itself through an intensity dependent refractive index. More precisely, an intensity dependent phase shift is responsible. This implies that multistability can originate in both a refractive index change or a physical path-length change within a material. While the refractive index mechanism has been routinely studied, the implications of the length change mechanism has been largely ignored. In this contribution, we show that an intensity dependent length change can be used to build a new class of devices. In particular, we show that mechanical and optical multistability in a polymer optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer can be used in the design of a mesoscale all-optical vibration suppressor and an optical positioner.

© 1995 Optical Society of America