Influence of nonlinear absorption effects on optical bistability in semiconductor ring resonators

We present a theoretical investigation of optical bistability in a nonlinear semiconductor ring resonator, by taking into account the two-photon absorption and the free-carrier absorption. By solving the intensity equation within the ring resonator, a parametric formulation is obtained for describing the bistability relation between the input and the output intensities. Numerical results show that the nonlinear absorption effects can affect the critical points and domain of the optical bistability.     

An all-optical switch/photodetection at 1550 nm,based on a micro-ring resonator array

In this paper, a photodetector based on InGaAs micro-ring resonator array with 5 μm radius, in telecommunication wavelength region has been investigated. Then for the first time to our knowledge, with the change of refractive index due to optical nonlinear effects (such as: Kerr effect, two photon absorption, free carrier dispersion and free carrier absorption), an all-optical switch, based on pump-probe configuration using this photodetector have been proposed. So, the suggested device, will introduce a dual functionality that is important from view point of economically purposes and in term of integration. By numerically solving the light propagation equations, with FDTD and Crank–Nicolson methods, in addition to steady state and transient response, also we have found the frequency response, in both configurations. With increasing reverse bias voltage, and optimizing the free carrier transportation from absorption region, switching frequency can be increased up to 200 GHz. Also by optimal choosing of parameters such as the number of rings and spaces between two adjacent rings and so on, the box-like spectral response of photodetector with high efficiency is achievable.     

Optical bistability in an all-optical fiber nonlinear fabry-perot resonator with linear absorption

An all-optical fiber nonlinear Fabry-Perot resonator is proposed. The steady-state model for describing this resonator is developed. The transmission and refection bistabilities are shown numerically. Our results show that the bistability in this system is similar to that in a normal nonlinear Fabry-Perot etalon, except that the characteristics of the bistability can be changed not only by the cavity length but also by the phase shifts of the fiber loop mirrors.     

Optical bistability and differential amplification in a tapered fiber coupler — microsphere resonator with nonlinear medium

We propose and study a coupling system composed of the tapered fiber and the microsphere with nonlinear medium. The optical bistability and differential amplification caused by optical Kerr effect is demonstrated using a geometrical method. We show that their operation characteristics can be controlled by parameters: linear phase detuning, attenuation coefficient and real amplitude coupling coefficient.     

Coupler-loss and coupling-coefficient-dependent bistability and instability in a fiber ring resonator

In this paper, we demonstrate the dynamic simulation of light traveling in a fiber ring resonator with a single coupler. Optical nonlinear phenomena including bistability, the Ikeda instability, bifurcation and chaos are studied. The Ikeda instability in ring resonator arises from the ring-cavity lifetime being much longer than the Kerr-effect response time of the fiber. The transmission curves of the bistability and the instability as function of the insertion losses (γ) and the coupling coefficients (κ) of the coupler are derived.     

基于开环振荡器阵列磁振荡效应的全光开关

We demonstrate an all-optical switching of the magnetic resonance properties associated with a metallic Split Ring Resonator（SRR） array. The periodically spaced elements are fabricated on a high-resistivity silicon wafer and probed by using conventional Terahertz （THz） time-domain spectroscopy. We use a continuous-wave laser diode to generate carriers in the gaps of the SRR elements. Using a sufficient power, this opti- cal excitation can create an effective short gap, which would switch the resonant properties of the metamaterial from that of an SRR array to that of a closed ring resonator array and leads to dramatic changes in the THz transmission. In the present experiment, the optically induced switching is associated with the magnetic reso- nance. However, with appropriate changes in the device structure, this approach can be extended to switch a medium with a negative real index of refraction to a medium with a positive real index of refraction. This opens the way to creat a broad new range of active devices.     

Analysis of a fiber ring resonator as a multi-path light-wave circuit in white-light fiber-optic interferometric sensors

According to the phase shift response of a ring resonator, the role of a fiber-optic ring resonator as a multi-path light-wave circuit in white-light fiber-optic interferometric sensors is analyzed. Formulas related to the maximum intensity of the interference fringes and the system parameters are derived by exact mathematic deduction. The main factors affecting the multiplexing capability of the sensor array are discussed. The analysis method not only gives an explicit explanation for the enhancement of multiplexing capability but also can be applied to other structural white-light sensor systems, in which the ring resonator is used as a multi-path light-wave circuit.     

The transmission and bistability of a nonlinear quasioptical resonator in ESR-conditions in ruby

Due to rapid progress of the nonlinear optics it has become real to observe and use the phenomenon of optics bistability in such passive structure as a Fabry-Perot resonator filled (completely or partially) with a substance having nonlinear adsorbtion and refraction. The problem of the optic bistability of such resonance structures were discussed in [1,2].     

Controllable optical bistability and multistability in a rare-earth-ion-doped optical fiber

We investigated the optical bistability and multistability in an Er³⁺-doped ZrF₄–BaF₂–LaF₃–AlF₃–NaF optical fiber inside an optical ring cavity. It is found that the optical bistability and multistability can be easily controlled via adjusting properly the parameters of the corresponding system. Our scheme may provide some new possibilities for technological applications in optoelectronics and optical-fiber communication.     

Optical bistability using quantum coherence in a microwave-driven four-level atomic system

The behavior of the optical bistability (OB) is investigated in an optical system which consists of a four-level atomic system with a microwave drive field and an optical cavity. It is found that the optical bistability can be accomplished by adjusting different physical parameters in both steady and transient process. Due to the existence of the microwave drive field, the optical bistability can be also obtained even under weak coherent coupling field condition. Since the intensity and phase of microwave drive field can be conveniently modulated, this optical system provides a new experimental method to test the optical bistability theory.     

Optical bistability at angular incidence in a one-dimensional photonic crystal containing single negative materials

Nonlinear wave propagation is studied theoretically in a one-dimensional photonic band gap structure containing single negative materials. It is found that Kerr nonlinearity is greatly enhanced near the lower edge of a recently explored angular gap for transverse magnetic polarized light. Consequently, optical bistability is achieved at very low values of input intensity in a periodic structure composed of only a few repeating units. The characteristics of optical bistability are affected only slightly with the variation of the incident angle and thickness ratio of the layers. The effect of losses is also found to be relatively insignificant in such a small structure.     

Optical bistability and multistability in a four-level quantum system in the presence of plasmonic nanostructure

In this paper, the effect of plasmonic nanostructure on behavior of optical bistability and multistability in a four-level quantum system embedded in a unidirectional ring cavity has been studied. It is found that the distance between plasmonic nanostructures and a four-level quantum system is varied from 4.4 nm to 14.4 nm and has an essential role for controlling the threshold of optical bistability and multistability. Moreover, obtained results show that the group velocity of pulse propagation through the medium is strongly depended on the distance between the plasmonic nanostructure and the four-level quantum system.     

Optical bistability in plasmonic nanoparticles: Effect of size,shape and embedding medium

We theoretically investigate the optical bistability, which one input signal allows two possible outputs, from single spherical/cylindrical nanoparticles and also nanoshells in the frame work of quasi-static formalism. It is shown that the bistability behavior greatly depends on several parameters such as the nanoparticle size, material and the surrounding dielectric environment. We demonstrated the width of the bistability region and also the bistable threshold depends on the geometrical parameters, and can be tuned by adjusting the size of nanoparticle, the shell thickness and the dielectric constant of the embedding medium. It is also shown that the optical bistable behavior depends strongly on the shape of plasmonic nanoparticles and nanoshells. However, these dependences of optical bistability of spherical/cylindrical nanoparticles and nanoshells on changing of their geometrical parameters can be used for realize optical switching and sensing purposes.     

Analysis and optimization of optical bistability in one-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystal with (HL)(D)(LH) and (LH)(D)(HL) structures

Although one-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystal (1D-NPC) has been widely studied, there is no comprehensive analysis on decreasing the bistability threshold power.In this paper, conditions required to create bistability have been specified for two types of structures of alternative high and low refractive index layers and defect layers with Kerr nonlinearity effect, in the order of (HL)^p(D)^q(LH)^p and (LH)^p(D)^q(HL)^p, where L and H denote low and high refractive index layers, respectively, D stands for the defect layers, p is the number of LH or HL layers and q is the number of defect layers.One of the essentials for the bistability is appropriate shifts of frequency of the defect mode, so the effect of the order of layer's arrangement in (1D-NPC) structures have been studied. Different structures have been introduced and the best structure for the lowest bistability threshold power has been proposed. Nonlinear finite-difference time-domain (NFDTD) in C++ has been employed for simulation.     

Phase-dependent optical bistability and multistability in a semiconductor quantum well system

We theoretically investigate the hybrid absorptive-dispersive optical bistability and multistability in a four-level inverted-Y quantum well system inside a unidirectional ring cavity. We find that the coupling field, the pumping field as well as the cycling field can affect the optical bistability and multistability dramatically, which can be used to manipulate efficiently the threshold intensity and the hysteresis loop. The effects of the relative phase and the electronic cooperation parameter on the OB and OM are also studied. Our study is much more practical than its atomic counterpart due to its flexible design and the wide adjustable parameters. Thus, it may provide some new possibilities for technological applications in optoelectronics and solid-state quantum information science.     

Optical bistability by two laser beams in photorefractive crystals

For a nonlinear medium, a given incident laser beam may produce different transmitted light waves. This phenomenon (the so-called optical bistability) corresponds to multiple solutions of the boundary value problems of the nonlinear Helmholtz equation. Optical bistability can be useful in the design of optical switches. Devices that display this behavior could potentially play a major role in the development of optical communication systems and computing. In this article we present experimental results concerning the optical bistability in photorefractive BaTiO₃:Fe crystal. Two laser beams were used to interact with the photorefractive crystal which resulted in the bistability of the intensity of transmitted wave. This was achieved without the application of any optical resonator. High contrast optical bistability is found experimentally in the pump-ratio dependence of the output intensity.     

Tunable optical bistability at microwave frequency based on 1D sandwich photonic structure consisting of a nonlinear dielectric slab and two magnetized cold plasma layers

In this paper, tunable optical bistability that denotes the relationship between input intensity and output intensity is numerically investigated in the microwave frequency region based on the one-dimensional (1D) sandwich photonic structure consisting of a Kerr-type nonlinear material slab and two magnetized cold plasma layers. Results show that, in the case of TM-polarized electromagnetic wave, width and switching thresholds of the bistability loops are dependent on the working frequency, initial incidence angle, layer thickness, plasma density, and external magnetic field, which should be judiciously selected to obtain a required bistability behavior. Compared to the case of switch-down threshold, the switch-up threshold in the bistability loop is more sensitive to the changes of parameters. Through this study, the suggested 1D sandwich photonic structure is beneficial to the all-optical signal processing.     

Controlling the optical bistability via quantum interference in a four-level N-type atomic system

We investigate the optical bistability (OB) and optical multi-stability (OM) in a four-level N-type atomic system. The effect of spontaneously generated coherence (SGC) on OB and OM is then discussed. It is found that SGC makes the medium phase dependent, so the optical bistability and multi-stability threshold can be controlled via relative phase between applied fields. We realize that the frequency detuning of probe and coupling fields with the corresponding atomic transition plays an important role in creation OB and OM. Moreover, the effect of laser coupling fields and an incoherent pumping field on reduction of OB and OM threshold is then discussed.     

Optical bistability and multistability via quantum interference in an Er-doped optical fiber

The optical bistability and multistability in an Er³⁺-doped ZrF₄-BaF₂-LaF₃-AlF₃-NaF optical fiber inside a ring cavity are investigated. The underlying mechanism shows some new characteristics that other schemes do not have. Thus, it may provide some new possibilities for technological applications in optoelectronics and quantum information science.     

Controlling the optical bistability and multistability in a two-level pumped-probe system

We study the behavior of the optical bistability (OB) and multistability (OM) in a two-level pumped-probe atomic system by means of a unidirectional ring cavity. We show that the optical bistability in a two-level atomic system can be controlled by adjusting the intensity of the pump field and the detuning between two fields. We find that applying the pumping field decreases the threshold of the optical bistability.