Tunable Optical Bistability and Optical Switching by Nonlinear Metamaterials

Abstract: We demonstrate a nonlinear metamaterial in microwave frequency regime with hysteresis effect and bistable states, which can be utilized as a remotely controllable micro second switching device. A varactor loaded split-ring resonator (SRR) design which exhibits power and frequency dependent broadband tunability of the resonance frequency for an external control signal is used. More importantly, the SRR shows bistability with distinct transmission levels. The transition between bi-states is controlled by impulses of an external pump signal. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate that transition rate is in the order of microseconds by using a varactor loaded double split-ring resonator (DSRR) design composed of two concentric rings.