A Simple Experiment of Simulating Optical Flip-Flop Operator with Two Oscilloscopes and Photodiodes

Abstract
A coupled hybrid optical bistable device composed of two oscilloscopes and two photodiode detectors has been constructed. This device is used to experimentally simulate the basic feature of the flip-flop operator proposed by Otsuka [Opt. Lett. 14 (1989) 72]. Most importantly, it allows us to model the system easily, and hence the condition of an occurrence of the flip-flop operation is accordingly predicted by the linear stability analysis. Furthermore, the influences of symmetry property of the optical system upon the flip-flop operation have been discussed as well.