Oscillatory instabilities leading to "optical turbulence" in a bistable ring cavity

A model for optical bistability in a ring cavity which exhibits periodic self-oscillation and period-doubling bifurcations leading to aperiodic behavior---"optical turbulence"---is discussed. For two two-dimensional maps describing cavity dynamics in an adiabatic limit (Ikeda's model), period-doubling sequences are studied numerically and found to be consistent with Feigenbaum's conjecture of universality. In the dispersive limit unstable regions are mapped as a function of round-trip losses and cavity detuning. From analytic expressions for this parameter dependence minimum power requirements for self-oscillation are estimated. A new instability for absorptive systems in a detuned cavity is identified.