Abstract

We show by numerical simulation that a small-radius Gaussian beam impinging upon a thin nonlinear film can switch from a total reflection state to a transmission state if the Kerr nonlinearity is positive. The phenomenon is nonresonant and is similar to interface switching. On the other hand, great differences from previous plane-wave models appear. Extension of these results to wider beams seems possible according to qualitative and quantitative arguments. For a negative nonlinearity the thin film acts as a limiter of the transmitted intensity. For wide beams results are similar to plane-wave results.

© 1994 Optical Society of America

Nonlinear Fabry–Perot action and optical bistability of a dielectric cladded thin film near the total internal reflection state

I. C. Khoo and J. Y. Hou
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 2(5) 761-766 (1985)

Dynamics of switching total internal reflection to transmission in a dielectric-cladded nonlinear film

I. C. Khoo and Ping Zhou
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 6(5) 884-888 (1989)

Transverse self-phase modulation and bistability in the transmission of a laser beam through a nonlinear thin film

I. C. Khoo, J. Y. Hou, T. H. Liu, P. Y. Yan, R. R. Michael, and G. M. Finn
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 4(6) 886-891 (1987)

Reflection Z-scan technique for the study of nonlinear refraction and absorption of a single interface and thin film

D. V. Petrov
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 13(7) 1491-1498 (1996)

Gaussian-beam excitation and stability of three-dimensional nonlinear guided waves

D. Mihalache, D.-M. Baboiu, D. Mazilu, L. Torner, and J. P. Torres
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 11(7) 1244-1253 (1994)