All-optical Switching in a Nonlinear Resonator

In this paper we consider some features of all-optical switching in a unidirectional ring cavity which is partially filled with a fast and saturably nonlinear medium. A comparative study of cross-talk for both signs of nonlinearity, in a two pixel (whole-beam switching) configuration, is made. A particular interaction modulation is discovered for two beams in the self-defocusing case. For self-focusing media, results are extended by consideration of large (part-beam switched) solitary arrays. Prescribed binary patterns may be stably encoded in a single cavity transit which is in sharp contrast to the hundreds of transits required for spontaneous stabilisation. These patterns are seen to be stable over thousands of transits.