Self-oscillations in a hybrid bistable optical device

The Van der Pol, Krylov-Bogoliubov method for self-oscillation calculations in nonlinear systems is applied to a piezoelectrically driven Fabry-Perot interferometer which is operated as a hybrid bistable optical device. It is shown that in cases where the time delay in the feedback signal cannot be ignored, or when a reactive element is inserted in the appropriate place in the electrical circuit, self-oscillation will result. Experiments in which a piezoelectric element serves as the basic component of a hybrid bistable device demonstrate that self-oscillation occurs with a frequency which is very near the piezoelement self-frequency.