Picoseconds all-optical switch and pulse re-shaper based in a bistable Bragg grating cavity

We study numerically nonlinear pulse propagation in a phase-shifted Bragg grating with a π phase-shift. The phase-shift acts as a cavity, accumulating the field inside the grating, and hence improving the switching efficiency. Due to material nonlinearity such cavity can operate in a bistable regime, enabling all-optical switching between high and low transmission states. We give optimization criteria for grating design that reduce the switching threshold and minimize the response time of the device. We demonstrate that if the grating and the pulse parameters are chosen carefully, a temporal reshaping of the transmitted pulse occurs. An asymmetric shape of the output pulse is an indication of the pulse self-switching between the two states of a bistable Bragg cavity.

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