Self-pulsing and transients of a Fabry–Perot interferometer with quadratic nonlinear medium

Abstract

The dynamic properties of a Fabry–Perot interferometer filled with a material exhibiting second-order dispersive nonlinearity are studied both theoretically and experimentally. The response of the medium is described by an intensity dependent phase constant as derived from self-action effects. Considering two relaxation times, that of the material and that of the cavity, the basic relations for the stability analysis and for the numerical calculations are obtained. Bistability and self-pulsing effects are predicted. Moreover, the transient behavior is characterized by anomalous switching properties like overshoot and alternate switching. The corresponding experiments performed on a nonlinear transmission line resonator confirm the theoretical results. In a final discussion, the relations to the field of nonlinear optics are outlined.