Optica Acta: International Journal of Optics

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Inhomogeneous Broadening and the Mean-field

Approximation for Optical Bistability in a Fabry-
Perot Interferometer

To cite this article: (1980) Inhomogeneous Broadening and the Mean-field Approximation for
Optical Bistability in a Fabry-Perot Interferometer, Optica Acta: International Journal of Optics, 27:5,
651-660, DOI: 10.1080/713820290

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OPTICA ACTA, 1980, VOL . 27, NO . 5, 651-660

Inhomogeneous broadening and the mean-field approximation

for optical bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometert

G . P. AGRAWAL
Physics Department,
The City College of the City University of New York,
New York 10031, U.S .A.
and H. J . CARMICHAEL
Center for Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics,
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, U .S .A .

(Received 30 July 1979)

Abstract . A formulation of absorptive and dispersive bistability in a Fabry-

Perot interferometer is presented which includes spatial effects and non-Doppler
inhomogeneous broadening . For the mean-field limit a new state equation
including standing waves is derived . Deviations from the mean-field approxima-
tion and features of both gaussian and lorentzian inhomogeneous broadening are
illustrated by explicit numerical results .

1. Introduction
Following the experimental demonstration of bistable transmission for a
Fabry-Perot interferometer filled with sodium vapour [1], optical bistability has
attracted considerable attention from theoretical circles . Various treatments for
both absorptive [2-5] and dispersive [6-10] effects have been presented and both
Fabry-Perot [2, 4, 8, 10-12] and ring-cavity [5-7] geometries have been discussed .
Much of this theoretical work is developed in the context of the saturable non-
linear response of a two-level medium and it is in this framework that our present
discussion will be set .
A common device leading to simple analytic models is the adoption of the
mean-field approximation (MFA) . However, in general the question of spatially
varying field amplitudes must be addressed . Justification for the MFA was
first demonstrated in the context of absorptive bistability in a ring cavity [5] .
More recently this feature has been considered in the absorptive case using a
Fabry-Perot interferometer [11, 12] . Here in addition to the slow variation of
the field due to absorption there are also rapid spatial oscillations arising in
standing wave effects . Carmichael [12] has derived a non-cubic state equation
which adequately accounts for standing waves and then corresponds to a MFA
solely in the sense of spatially averaging the slow absorptive variations . This is
the counterpart of the MFA as encountered in the ring cavity [5] . The state
equation becomes exact in the mean-field limit (M FL) aL -*0, (1 - R) -*0, with
aL/(1-R) constant . Here a is the absorption coefficient, L is the cavity length
and R is the mirror reflection coefficient.
t Supported in part by a grant from the Robert A . Welch Foundation and a grant from
the Army Research Office .
0030-3909/80/2705 0651 802 . 00 - 1980 'Taylor & Francis Ltd


652 G. P . Agrawal and H. J. Carmichael

In a recent paper [10], hereafter cited as I, we presented an analysis of optical

bistability in a Fabry-Perot cavity using the MFA, and with both absorptive and
dispersive effects included . Particular emphasis was laid on the role of adjust-
able experimental parameters controlling atomic and cavity detuning and
absorption strength . Our objective in the present paper is to extend this analysis,
first by lifting the restriction of the MFA and secondly by including non-Doppler
inhomogeneous broadening. Doppler broadening for the Fabry-Perot inter-
ferometer must be treatedd in the presence of standing waves and new complica-
tions are introduced in this respect . We have investigated this also, however, as
a topic of separate interest, it has been reserved for publication elsewhere .
While the treatment in I was made in the context of a Fabry-Perot inter-
ferometer, in the MFA we averaged all spatial effects, including those due to
standing waves . Thus our cubic state equation is more correctly applicable to
the ring cavityt . In this context it becomes exact for the MFL taken with the
added restriction 0 --0 with q = 0/(1- R) constant, where 0 designates cavity
detuning . Here we will derive a non-cubic state equation for a homogeneously
broadened medium in a Fabry-Perot interferometer without averaging standing
waves . This then remains an MFA only in the sense of averaged amplitude
variations due to absorption, and generalizes the state equation given by
Carmichael [12] to a dispersive medium . Again it is exact in the MFL . To
treat conditions outside the MFL and include either gaussian or lorentzian in-
homogeneous broadening we introduce a full numerical scheme . We combine
integration of cavity field amplitudes and phase, as used by Gibbs et al . [1] in a
homogeneously broadened case, with distributed atomic detuning . In the MFA,
the latter has been included for a ring cavity in lorentzian form by Bonifacio and
Lugiato [6] while Hassan et al . [7] have adopted a gaussian form . Here we
discuss the influence of cavity Q on bistability in the presence of both absorption
and dispersion. For a high-Q cavity, gaussian and lorentzian broadened lines
are constrasted and found to differ considerably in terms of features in the bistable
region . We show that inhomogeneous broadening may retune a cavity to
achieve a dispersive bistability where none existed for the homogeneous case .
In § § 2 and 3 we develop the theoretical background to a description of
optical bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometer . Section 2 deals with aspects
of the medium and an intensity dependent complex susceptibility is obtained for
an inhomogeneously broadened two-level system . Both gaussian and lorentzian
broadening are considered . Propagation within the cavity is discussed in § 3 .
Three equations are derived coupling forwards and backwards wave amplitudes
and their relative phase . Integration of this system determines transmission
characteristics . In § 4 we discuss the MFL and derive a non-cubic state equation
for the homogeneously broadened case . Finally, in § 5 results outside the MFL
and with inhomogeneous broadening are reported .

2. A two-level inhomogeneously broadened medium

We treat a medium of N two-level atoms uniformly distributed in a volume V
within a Fabry-Perot cavity, and interacting with an injected signal of frequency

f There must be a simple modification by a factor \/2 in the normalization of incident

and transmitted amplitudes . This arises in averaging the squared mode function sine k o z ;
replacing it by J . Also C becomes one-half of that taken in I since a single round trip
traverses the medium just once in a ring cavity and twice in a Fabry-Perot.


Optical bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometer 653

coo . For stationary, homogeneously broadened atoms, having resonant frequency

w, a complex dielectric susceptibility Xg has been derived in I with
_ ac O+i
X$(0' I) Coo 1+A2+I(r)' (1)

Here, a=Nµ 2 wo /eof Vy l c is the absorption coefficient, A=(w-w o )/y 1 specifies

atomic detuning, and I(r)= I E(r) 1 2 /Es 2, with the saturation field Es =
(h/2µ)(Y ii Y1)112, is the dimensionless field intensity inside the cavity . Further µ
is the atomic dipole moment, y u and y1 are longitudinal and transverse relaxation
rates and eo is the vacuum permittivity . We will adopt m .k .s . units throughout .
For a gaseous medium inhomogeneous broadening arises through the Doppler
effect . In a Fabry-Perot interferometer this requires special consideration
due to the presence of both forwards and backwards waves and hence simul-
taneous positive and negative frequency shifts . As mentioned in the introduc-
tion, a study of these features in relation to optical bistability will be published
separately . Here we introduce inhomogeneous broadening in a form appropriate
for stationary active centres such as Cr 3+ ions in ruby . The generalization of
equation (1) is in this instance standard [13] and proceeds from the distribution
of atomic frequencies about some central frequency w,, . If we write
A=(wa-wo)/Y1 and consider a distribution g(A) in atomic detuning, with
00
I dig(A)=1, for the complex susceptibility X we have
-Co

X(I) = ! dAg(A)Xs(A, I), (2)

-00

where XH is given in equation (1) . This formulation is applicable to Doppler

broadening in a ring cavity where fields propagate in a single direction . For the
Doppler case in a Fabry-Perot interferometer it should give approximate descrip-
tion in the limit of low Q or high absorption where the forwards wave dominates .
For the g(0) in equation (2), gaussian [7] and lorentzian [6] distributions have
been adopted by previous authors and we will consider both .

2.1 . Gaussian inhomogeneous broadening

If P is the inhomogeneous linewidth, on setting a= 17/y, the distribution in
atomic detuning is taken as

g(A) d A _ -0270a exp (3)

I - ( A2a2)2j dA,
where 0 = ( cu .- coo )/y, is an average detuning . From equations (1)-(3) it may
be shown that
Re X(I)
= coo \12a -\12a
ac 1 1
m X(I)
(I) = Coo (1+I(r)) 1 12 .~/2a IM Z - (4)
( -%12a
where Z(f) is a tabulated function, common to plasma physics, and known as the
plasma dispersion function [14] . It is simply expressed in terms of the error
function
Z(e) =i-\/lr exp (-62) [1 + erf (ie)] . (5)


654 G. P . Agrawal and H . J. Carmichael

2.2 . Lorentzian inhomogeneous broadening

Here, for g(0) we take a lorentzian of comparable linewidth

g(A}d 0=a
a 1
a 2 +(t1- A) 2 dA. (6)

The integrals arising in equation (2) lead in this case to a complex susceptibility
in the form
O
Re X(I)= ac
W0 [(1+I(r))1f2+a]2+02'
cxc 1 (1+I(r))112+ a
Im X(I) _- a]2 + Q2' ( 7)
WO (1 + I( r )) 1 f 2 [(1 + I(r))112 +

3 . Coupled equations for cavity fields

For our discussion here we take a Fabry-Perot interferometer axial to the z
direction with plane mirrors having reflection coefficient R set at z=0 and z = L .
An injected signal is incident at z=0 and propagates within the cavity in the
presence of a saturable medium described by either equation (4) or (7) . All
fields are taken monochromatic and linearly polarized and will be treated in the
plane-wave approximation .
For the dimensionless cavity field we write

E.(z, t)/E
.=E(z, t) exp (-iw0t)+c .c . (8)

where for simplicity the polarization is suppressed . Then in the steady state
there arises a stationary cavity amplitude E(z) satisfying the Helmholtz equation
d2
02 E(z)= -k 0 2 X(z)E(z), (9)
d- +k
with ko =w0 /c . After expanding X(z) and E(z) in even and odd powers of
exp (iko z) respectively it may be argued [15] that only lowest order field contribu-
tions need be retained . These correspond to usual forwards and backwards
waves and we write
E(z) = E f exp (ik oz) + Eb exp (-iko z) . (10)

From equation (9) we then have the coupled field equations [12, 15]

dEf=i 2c (Xo E f + Xl Eb ), (11)

-z X-lEf),
deb= -- (XoEb+ ( 12 )

where the Fourier components X0 and X ±1 are given by

n
exp[in(Of-0b)] I
X.= d9 exp in 0) X(I(O)), n=0, ± 1 (13)
2a
with
I(8)=If +Ib +2(I f Ib ) 112 cos 0 . (14)


Optical bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometer 655

Here we have introduced phases Of and Y'b with

Ef= IEfi exp (iqf), Eb= IEbI eXp (ZY'b)

and dimensionless intensities I f = I Ef 12 and Ib = I Eb 12 . It is convenient to
transform equations (11) and (12) for complex amplitudes into equations in
phase and intensity and we readily find
dIf-
- J, Im A(If , Ib ), (15)
dz
dIb
-«Ib Im A(Ib , If), (16)
dz

Re (A(If, Ib)+A(Ib, If)),

d~=2
where
w I 112
A(If, Ia0+aj
Ib)= «c I)
f ]
with
n
an =- f dB X(I(O)) cos (n B), n=0, 1 .
ITo

We include here only a single equation for the phase where we have defined
P=Y'f 9 b • This phase difference is all that is called for further on .
The mathematical description is completed with the provision of boundary
conditions for the mirrors at z = 0 and z = L. If in the manner of equation (8)
incident and transmitted amplitudes E; and Et are taken normalized by the
saturation amplitude E ., we may write
Et =(1-R) 1 ' 2 eXp. (z#T) Ef(L), Eb(L) = R 1l2 eXp (i R) exp (2ikO L)Ef(L), (20)

Ef( 0 ) - R1/2 exp (iOR )Eb (0) = (1 - R)112 exp ('OT)Ei, ( 21 )

where OT and OR are phase changes introduced on transmission and reflection
respectively. Then introducing P0 and Pt with
2IEtI2
PO Pt ( 22 )
1-R' 1-R'
we have
Pt =2If(L), Ib (L) = RIf(L), (23)

PO = ( 1 2R)2 [I f (O) +RIb( 0 ) -2 R 112(If(0 )Ib( 0 ))112 cos( 0 +fl(0 ) - fl(L))], ( 24 )

where 0 = 2m7r - (2k0L + 2qR ) is an initial cavity detuning .

Transmission characteristics are now available using equations (15)-(19),
(23) and (24) . For any choice of Pt we integrate from the exit mirror to the input
mirror and determine PO via equation (24) . We might note that P(L) may be
chosen at will, corresponding to any arbitrary choice of OR, since results depend
only on P(0)-P(L) .


656 G . P. Agrawal and H. J. Carmichael

4. State equation for the mean-field limit

Sections 2 and 3 provide a full description of optical bistability for any choice
of the parameters aL, R, 0, 0 and a. We have implemented this numerically
and results are given in the following section . It is useful, however, to consider
limiting cases in which analytic state equations may be derived .
First we might consider the limit aL << 1 for which integration throughout the
cavity is simply accomplished . We treat the right-hand side of equations
(15)-(17) as constant, using equation (23) to replace I f and Ib by Pt/2 and RPt/2
respectively . It follows that
2t R2 t
if (0) = 1 +ocL Im A 2t, j, (25)
1
CR2
Ib(0)= RPtt 1-aL Im A t, 2t I , (26)
C J
-aL
P(O) -fl(L)= A 2t, R2 tl +A ~R2 t,
Re .
[ C
Zt)]
(27)

Further, rewriting equation (24) in the form

PO =(1 2R)2 {[ If( 0)1'2- R112 Ib( 0)112 ]2

-2R112(If( 0 )Ib( 0)) 1J2[cos(0 +/3(0) - P(L)) -1]}, (28)

two terms separately associated with absorptive and dispersive effects may be
identified, and treating each to lowest order in aL we find the state equation

t, RPt
P.=Pt + 2(R- R) Im A
{C1 (1 (Z
)+A
(RZ -, 2t))] 2
2(Ra
R) Re A C2t,R2tl+A(c))] j(29)
+RCS (\ R2t, t 2
Here we have defined

= 1R R (30)

and impose the additional requirement 0 << 1 . For aL << 1 this latter restriction is
necessary to achieve significant non-linearity in the dispersive contribution .
Equation (29) is quite general and retains both inhomogeneous broadening
and standing wave effects in a cavity of arbitrary Q . In going to the MFL we
let a -->-O, (1 - R) --->.0, with aL/(1- R) constant. Supplemented by 0 ->0 with
0= OR/(l-R) constant, this leads to the state equation

PO =Pt R1+2CImA 2t, 2t l l 2 + ~¢-2C Re A 2t, Zt))2 (31)

where

C= 2( 1LR) . ( 32)


Optical bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometer 657

Generally, for the inhomogeneously broadened case this is as far as we may go

analytically. We do not have a closed expression for A(Pt/2, Pt /2) . However,
for homogeneous broadening (a=0) the integrals in equation (19) are manage-
able . Setting g(0)=8(0-0) in equation (2) and using equations (14), (18) and
(19) we find
1/z
Pt Pt 1 1 + D2
A ( 2' 2)=(4+i)Pt
C
1- (1+A 2 +2Pt ) 1 (33)

Thus, for a homogeneously broadened medium, in the MFL we find a state

equation for bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometer given by
)] 2
P°
Pt 1C 1+ Pt ( 1- ( 1+1 2++2Pt)112
2P-
+1
( 1- (t+o2 2K2Pt ) 1'2 )] 2 } (34)

This generalizes the equation derived for absorptive bistability by Carmichael

[12] and setting i = 0 = 0 we regain this earlier re sult .
We note that well below saturation (2Pt << 1 + 0 2 ) equation (34) may be written
as
2CJ+_ 2C0 2
P_P
° t 1+ (35)
C( 1+o2+1+o 2 +P t ) ]
This is just the state equation obtained in I by averaging standing-wave effects .
As noted earlier, apart from a simple renormalization, P 0 -->1/2P° , Pt ->1/2Pt , this
also corresponds to the form obtained for a ring cavity [6, 7] .

5. Discussion and numerical results

In this section we will illustrate various features of optical bistability in a
Fabry-Perot interferometer which arise with the introduction of inhomogeneous
broadening and removal of the MFA . A general scheme has been implemented
numerically using equations (4) and (7) to describe the medium, equations
(15)-(19) for integration through the cavity, together with boundary conditions
equations (23) and (24). For a given Pt , equation (23) determines If(L) and
Ib (L) . Equations (15)-(17) are then integrated to z=0 where equation (24)
provides the corresponding P0 . Following this procedure, transmission charac-
teristics may be generated for an arbitrary choice of the parameters R, C, 2i, 0 and
a (we use R, C and 0 to facilitate comparison with the results of I ; the indepen-
dent parameters are R, aL and 0) . In limiting cases of low absorption and high
Q we may resort to the state equations of the previous section .
Our attention is first turned to the effects of standing waves and propagation,
and for this purpose we treat only homogeneous broadening . Rather than
presenting bistability curves themselves we plot turning points P o -i" and P.-ax
in a fashion suggested by an identification with the cusp catastrophe [10] . These
correspond to switching intensities in the sense of a delay convention - [ . In
figure 1 we plot P°-in and P° max against cavity detuning 0 for C = 20, 0=1 and

t True switching characteristics must be determined from an analysis of fluctuations .



658 G . P. Agrawal and H. J. Carmichael --

10

-2

-4 i i i
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Figure 1 . Effects of propagation and standing waves for C = 20, z=1, 0=0, illustrated by
the variation of switching intensities with cavity detuning 0 for a high-Q (R=0 . 99)
and low-Q (R=0 .8) cavity . The dashed curve corresponds to state equation (35)
obtained in the MFL by averaging standing-wave effects .

two different values of R. At R = 0 . 99 (aL = 0 . 4) the numerical result is in-

distinguishable from that given by the state equation (34) obtained in the MFL .
It differs markedly, however, from the corresponding result derived from equation
(35) which averages standing-wave effects . The latter is displayed as the
dashed curve in figure 1 . Moving to a lower value of R, with R=0 . 8 (aL=8) we
find a significant reduction in the bistable region indicating a trend towards
eventual elimination of bistability in a low-Q cavity . This generalizes earlier
observations for the purely absorptive case [11, 12] and emphasizes again the
requirement of a high-Q cavity for achieving bistable effects .
For R = 0 . 99, C = 20 (aL = 0 . 4) and 0 = 0 (0 = 0) we have compared the effects
of gaussian and lorentzian inhomogeneous broadening in figure 2 . Here we plot
Po 111" and p0lnax as a function of mean atomic detuning 0 . It is easily verified
that the plotted curves are symmetric with respect to the reflection A -k- A . In
both cases, for sufficiently large v bistability with these parameters is lost . This
elimination of absorptive bistability at fixed C has been noted for the ring cavity
by Bonifacio and Lugiato [6] and Hassan et al . [7] . Figures 2 (a) and (b) provide
an interesting comparison between gaussian and lorentzian cases . The differ-
ences here may be attributed to the influence of atoms represented by the wings of
the atomic detuning distribution g(0) . A lorentzian falls off much more slowly
than the exponential decay in .the wings of a gaussian . Deviations from homo-
geneously broadened results are contributed to by atoms for which (A-0)/A
comprises a significant change in detuning . While for A=0 atoms represented
by the peak of g(A) modify P 0 I"'ll and P0 111ax, at larger values of 0(A >o) the
wings become important . The relatively small contribution in the wings of a
 Optical bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometer 659

(a) (b)

I 2 3
Po (102 )

Figure 2. Effects of inhomogeneous broadening on the variation of the switching in-

tensities with 0 for R=0 .99, C=20, 0=0 : (a) gaussian broadening, and (b)
lorentzian broadening.

0 2 0 0 10 12
1!,.

Figure 3 . Transmission curves for R=0-99, C=20 : (a) Ti=10, 0=3, a = 0 ; (b) 2i=10,
0=3, a=4 ; and (c) 0=0, 0=0, a=4.

gaussian then explains the reduced changes in switching intensities occurring for
A > 0 in the gaussian case . This has the interesting consequence that for values
of a larger than those plotted, bistability disappears at 0 = 0 while remaining over
a range of A # 0 . The curves in figure 2 (a) reduce to an ` island ' with no
bistability at A = 0, before bistability vanishes for all A with a further increase in
inhomogeneous broadening. This is contrasted by the lorentzian case . Here,
when bistability is eliminated at 0=0, it has also vanished for larger I .
We have not attempted a full coverage of bistable features as a function of the
five adjustable parameters R, C, 0, 0 and a, as the required investment of com-
puting time seems unjustified . However, in addition to the effects described


660 Optical bistability in a Fabry-Perot interferometer

above we will mention a few further features, illustrating these by individual

transmission characteristics . Three such curves are presented in figure 3 .
Here, in the comparison between curves (a) and (b) we demonstrate that a homo-
geneously broadened medium may become bistable following the introduction of
inhomogeneous broadening . In this case gaussian inhomogeneous broadening
is involved . The parameters R=0-99, C= 20(aL = 0 .4), 2K=10 and 0=3
(0=0-033) are selected to give a dominant dispersive contribution . However,
there is no bistability for a = 0 (curve (a)) . The onset of bistability with a=4
(curve (b)) may be attributed to a retuning of sufficient atoms by the distribution
g(0) to give the required non-linear phase shift . Curves (b) and (c) serve as a
demonstration of the effect, noted in relation to figure 2 (a), that in the presence
of inhomogeneous broadening a dispersive bistability may exist where absorptive
bistability has been destroyed . This feature was illustrated for a ring cavity by
Hassan et al. [7] .

Acknowledgment
The authors gratefully acknowledge helpful discussions with Professor
Melvin Lax .

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Level Atoms (New York : Wiley) .
FRIED, B . D ., and CONTE, S . D ., 1961, The Plasma Dispersion Function (New York
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