Controlling the onset of OB/OM in a semiconductor quantum well system in an inverted Y-type configuration

Abstract

The problem of optical bistability (OB) and optical multistability (OM) is numerically investigated in a four-level inverted Y-type semiconductor quantum well (SQW) structure immersed in a unidirectional ring cavity. In the four-level SQW system under consideration, a closed loop configuration is coupled to the upper level through a tunable probe field. We show that the OB threshold intensity can be controlled via the intensity of coupling fields which gives rise to the absorption variation of the probe field. In addition, due to the existence of the closed-loop configuration, the OB and OM behaviors of the proposed SQW medium are dependent on the relative phase of the applied fields. It is found that the OB can be switched to OM or vice versa by properly adjusting the relative phase of the applied fields. The results may provide new possibilities in real experiments for realizing an all-optical switching or coding element in a solid-state platform.