Multiphoton transitions and the resonant optical Stark effect in AgBr nanocrystals

Nonlinear absorption of 30-ps light pulses with λ = 560 nm in AgBr nanocrystals is experimentally studied in the range of intensities 10⁸–10¹⁰ W/cm². The results of a theoretical analysis show that the absorption is related to direct interband n-photon transitions. With increasing light intensity j, the number n increases and the region of the k-space changes for the transitions predominantly contributing to the absorption. It is shown that, due to specific features of the AgBr electronic band structure, the probabilities of two-photon transitions for the light at λ = 560 nm are anomalously low, while those of four-photon transitions are anomalously high. In addition, the increase in the two-photon transition rate with increasing intensity is blocked at j ? 10⁸ W/cm² due to the resonant optical Stark effect and due to a gap arising in the band spectrum, rearranged because of the interaction with light.