Non-steady-state photoelectromotive-force generation in an interferometer with optoelectronic feedback

Abstract

The generation of optical phase oscillations is investigated in an interferometer using a ${\text{Bi}}_{12}{\text{SiO}}_{20}$ non-steady-state photoelectromotive-force detector. Phase modulation of the signal optical beam is created by the detected signal itself, in contrast to the standard forced regime where such modulation is produced by an external source. The conditions necessary for the self-excitation of the oscillations are obtained using the results of the small-signal approach for the non-steady-state photoelectromotive-force effect. The amplitude and frequency of the oscillations are defined by the photoelectric properties of the detector but not by the feedback loop. The dependencies of the oscillations on the time and gain factor are measured for both the diffusion and drift regimes.