Changes in the Bistable Behaviour of a Nonlinear Fabry-Perot Etalon for Oblique Incidence

The steady-state behaviour of a nonlinear Fabry-Perot (N.L.F.P.) etalon for oblique incidence will be presented using the numerical solutions of two simplified models: a two beam and a multiple beam model, each of them having their appropriate domain of operation. These models clearly show the important role played by the state of polarization of the incident beam and by its angle of incidence. Some new applications in optical information processing using these supplementary parameters are proposed.