Abstract

A nonlinear Fabry-Perot interferometer symmetrically pumped by two beams was proposed by Haelterman et al.^1,2 as an all-optical flip-flop that is triggerable by only bright pulses without the necessity of dark pulses, which are necessary, for resetting the ordinary nonlinear Fabry-Perot flipflop. We have previously shown theoretically and experimentally³ that when the semiconductor laser pumped to near the threshold was injection modulated, instabilities such as bifurcations, limit cycles, or chaos occurred on its injection-modulated pulsed height. If such a bifurcation can be regarded as a kind of symmetry breaking, by using this, the construction of a setreset type all-optical flip-flop using only bright trigger pulses can probably be realized, although the flip-flop action is dynamic (pulsed) rather than static.

© 1993 Optical Society of America