Abstract
We show that a single thin layer (thickness much less than an optical wavelength) of nonlinear optical material can display optical bistability solely as a consequence of local field effects. Optical bistability is predicted when the phase of the complex third-order susceptibility χ(3) is nearly opposite that of the linear dielectric constant ε and when the incident field amplitude is adjusted so that |χ(3)∥E0|2 is approximately equal to 10-3|ε|3.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 577-580 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Optics Communications |
| Volume | 179 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 25 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors gratefully acknowledge useful discussions with Robert L. Nelson. This research was supported by AFOSR grant F49620-00-1-0061 and by the sponsors of the University of Rochester's Center for Electronic Imaging Systems.