Critical Quantum Fluctuations in Optical Bistability

Abstract

Intrinsic optical bistable elements that have been investigated to date typically are either high-Q devices dominated by the interferometer relaxation, or else are fast switching devices dominated by relatively slow population transfers. In the case of the one-mode quantum theory of optical bistability with two-level atoms, these limits can be treated in a unified way with a single Fokker-Planck equation.