title: Absolute minimum instability thresholds in a nonlinear ring cavity containing a Kerr medium.
abstract: Stability analysis of an arbitrary-finesse ring cavity containing a Kerr medium of arbitrary response time reveals an absolute minimum threshold for the driving intensity necessary for realization of self-pulsing instabilities. This threshold is minimized not only with respect to cavity mistuning but also with respect to the medium's response time. The instability threshold is typically six times that for optical bistability.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Sinclair