Weak material nonlinearity at optical frequencies poses a serious hurdle to realizing optical bistability at low optical powers, which is a critical component for digital optical computing. In this paper, we explore the cavity enhancement of the second-order optical nonlinearity in order to determine the feasibility of few photon optical bistability. Starting from a quantum optical formalism of...

A new kind of optical bistability is discussed that is based on mutual self-action of light beams in a nonlinear medium. In particular, fundamentally new devices are proposed that use two counterpropagating incident beams and no reflection feedback. Self-focusing (or self-defocusing) and self-bending provide bistability with positive or negative nonlinearity.

We analyze localization of light in honeycomb photonic lattices restricted in one dimension, which can be regarded as an optical analog of graphene nanoribbons. We discuss the effect of lattice topology on the properties of discrete solitons excited inside the lattice and at its edges. We discuss a type of soliton bistability, geometry-induced bistability, in the lattices of a finite extent.

All-optical 2R logic regeneration is demonstrated using a vertical cavity semiconductor optical amplifier. The optical switching threshold is 1 μW, with 10 dB gain and >6:1 (8dB) extinction ratio. Performance limits are also discussed. ©2003 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (190.1450) Bistability; (200.4660) Optical Logic; (250.5980) Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers; (230.4320) Nonlinear ...

Gain Clamped Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (GC-SOA), All Optical flip flop (AOff), Distributed bragg reflector (DBR), bistability property ABSTRACT In this article, the effect of coupling coefficient variations on an all optical Flip Flop performance based on gain clamped semiconductor optical amplifier according to distributed bragg reflectors by extensive band model of wave diffusion in tim...

Evidence of modulated dissipative structures with an intrinsic wavelength in a nonlinear optical system devoid of Turing instability is given. They are found in the transverse field distribution of an optical cavity containing a liquid crystal light valve. Their existence is related to a transition from flat to modulated fronts connecting the unstable middle branch of a bistability cycle and ei...