Synchronous control of dual-channel all-optical multistate switching.

We have experimentally observed optical multistabilities (OMs) simultaneously on both the signal and generated Stokes fields in an optical ring cavity with a coherently prepared multilevel atomic medium. The two observed OMs, which are governed by different physical processes, are coupled via the multilevel atomic medium and exhibit similar threshold behaviors. By modulating the cavity input (signal) field with positive or negative pulses, dual-channel all-optical multistate switching has been realized and synchronously controlled, which can be useful for increasing communication and computation capacities.