Optical Multistability in Three-Level Atoms inside an Optical Ring Cavity
Abstract
Optical multistability in an optical ring cavity filled with a collection of three-level Λ-type rubidium atoms has been experimentally demonstrated. The observed multistability is very sensitive to the induced atomic coherence in the system and can evolve from a normal bistable behavior with the change of the coupling field as well as the atomic number density. The underlying mechanism for the formation of such multistability is also discussed.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- October 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.143904
- Bibcode:
- 2003PhRvL..91n3904J
- Keywords:
-
- 42.65.Pc;
- 42.50.Gy;
- 42.65.Sf;
- Optical bistability multistability and switching including local field effects;
- Effects of atomic coherence on propagation absorption and amplification of light;
- electromagnetically induced transparency and absorption;
- Dynamics of nonlinear optical systems;
- optical instabilities optical chaos and complexity and optical spatio-temporal dynamics