Time-dependent Studies of Optical Bistability in Atomic Sodium

Abstract

A bistable system consisting of an optical cavity with a medium of sodium atomic beams has been subjected to square pulses of light resonant with a D transition. The lifetimes of the field in the cavity and of the atomic medium are approximately equal. The system transmission data recorded has been compared with simulated data calculated from a theoretical model which treats the atomic energy configuration associated with the D lines as a three-level, lambda-type. Good qualitative agreement is obtained showing the system switching on to the high transmission branch. In particular, as the intensity of the input pulse ends, from the high intensity side, to the low to high branch transition threshold, switching is delayed by a time which is more than one order of magnitude longer than the field and atomic lifetimes.