Tunable optical bistability of graphene-wrapped dielectric cylinders

TL;DR

This paper investigates the nonlinear optical properties of graphene-wrapped dielectric cylinders, revealing tunable bistability and hysteresis effects useful for optical switching and memory applications.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis combining full-wave and quasistatic theories to explore tunable optical bistability in graphene-coated dielectric cylinders.

Findings

Observation of hysteresis in near-field and far-field spectra

Demonstration of bistability tunable by size, permittivity, and chemical potential

Identification of stable optical regions and switching thresholds

Abstract

We theoretically study the role of nonlinear surface plasmoms on the optical bistability of graphene-wrapped dielectric cylinders, within the framework of both full-wave scattering theory and the quasistatic limit. Typical hysteresis curves are observed in both near-field and far-field spectra. Moreover, we demonstrate that introducing the full wave theory results in another bistable behavior with a high applied electromagnetic field, suggesting a more explicit way in analyzing the unstable behavior of the graphene-wrapped dielectric cylinder. Furthermore, optical stable region and the switching threshold values are proved to be tunable by changing either the size, permittivity of the nanocylinder or the chemical potential of graphene, promising the graphene-wrapped dielectric cylinder a candidate for all-optical switching and nano-memories.