Abstract

Bistability and hysteresis are well known nonlinear phenomena in non-linear optics and nonlinear oscillations. More recently, it is shown that a lone electron in cyclotron resonance exhibits bistable interaction with microwave radiation[1-3]. Here we report the bistability phenomenon in laser beat-wave excitation of relativistic Langmuir-wave. Different from optical bistabilities, such a system has no feedback, the bistable interaction is due to the relativistic frequency shift of the Langmuir-wave.

© 1988 Optical Society of America