Simultaneous Effects of External Electric Field and Conduction Band Nonparabolicity on Optical Properties of a GaAs Quantum Dot Embedded at the Center of a GaAlAs Nano-Wire

An investigation of the optical properties of a GaAs spherical quantum dot which is located at the center of a Ga1-xAlx As cylindrical nano-wire has been performed in the presence of an external electric field. The band nonparabolieity effect is also considered using the energy dependent effective mass approximation. The energy eigenvalues and corresponding wave functions are calculated by finite difference approximation and the reliability of calculated wave functions is checked by computing orthogonality. Using computed energy eigenvalues and wave functions, the linear, third-order nonlinear and total optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are examined in detail. It is found that （i） Presence of electric field causes both blue and red shifts in absorption spectrum; （ii） The absorption coefficients shift toward lower energies by taking into account the conduction band nonparabolicity; （iii） For large values of electric field the effect of conduction band nonparabolieity is less dominant and parabolic band is estimated correctly; （iv） In the presence of electric field and conduction band nonparabolicity the nonlinear term of absorption coefficient rapidly increases by increasing incident optical intensity. In other words, the saturation in optical spectrum occurs at lower incident optical intensities.     

THz Generation by Optical Rectification and Competition with Other Nonlinear Processes

We present a study of the competition between tera-hertz （THz） generation by optical rectification in （110） ZnTe crystals, two-photon absorption, second harmonic generation and free-carrier absorption. The two-photon nonlinear absorption coefficient, second harmonic generation efficiency and free-carrier absorption coefficient in the THz range are measured independently. The incident pump field is shown to be depleted by two-photon absorption and the THz radiation is shown to be reduced, upon focusing, by free-carrier absorption. The reduction of the generated THz radiation upon tight focusing is explained, provided that one also takes into account diffraction effects from the sub-wavelength THz source.     

Effect of Ag Nanoparticles on Optical Properties of R6G Doped PMMA Films

The composite PMMA films containing Ag nanoparticles and rhodamine 6G are prepared. We investigate the fluorescence properties and nonlinear optical properties of R6G/PMMA films influenced by Ag nanoparticles. The fluorescence enhancement factor is about 3.3. The corresponding nonlinear refractive index is measured to be -2.423 ×10^-8 esu using the Z-scan technique, which is much enhanced compared with the R6G/PMMA film. The results indicate that these enhancements are attributed to surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles.     

Ultrafast third-order optical nonlinearities in DMSO

The third-order optical nonlinearities of dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) are investigated using the optical Kerr effect(OKE) and Z-scan techniques with femtosecond pulses.We are able to fit the OKE signal theoretically by convolving the autocorrelation of the incident pulse intensity profile with the impulse responses of the samples,illustrating the instantaneous nonlinear response of DMSO.We verify that the purely electronic cloud distortion causes the observed signal for DMSO.The Z-scan technique is used to estimate the third-order susceptibility of DMSO,which is about a quarter of that for CS2 and mainly comes from the nonlinear refraction with an intensity of less than 140 GW/cm2.     

Nonlinear Optical Properties and Ultrafast Dynamics of Undoped and Doped Bulk SiC

Ultrafast third-order nonlinear optical response of bulk 6H-SiC undoped and doped with different nitrogen concentrations are investigated utilizing femtosecond Z-scan and optical Kerr effect （OKE） techniques at the wavelength of 800hm. The Z-scan measurement shows that the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibilities of the doped samples are improved in comparison to the intrinsic sample. The OKE results additionally reveal that the instantaneous nonlinear optical response of the samples can be ascribed to the distortion of the electron cloud. The ultrafast transient spectroscopic measurements with the one-color and two-color pump-probe techniques demonstrate that the ultrafast recovery process in subpicosecond domain is induced by two-photon absorption process, while the slow relaxation component reflects the carrier dynamics of the excited electrons.     

Nonlinear and saturable absorption properties of PbS nanocrystalline thin films

The structural, morphological, optical, and nonlinear optical properties of a lead sulfide （PbS） thin film grown by chemical bath deposition （CBD） are investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, ultraviolet-visible （UV-Vis）, and open aperture Z-scan experiments. The band gap energy of the PbS nanocrystalline film is 1.82 eV~ higher than that of bulk PbS at 300 K. The nonlinear absorption properties of the film are investigated using the open aperture Z-scan technique at 1064 nm and pulse durations of 4 ns and 65 ps. Intensity-dependent switching of the film from nonlinear absorption to saturable absorption is observed. The nonlinear absorption coefficient increases monotonically with increasing pulse duration from 65 ps to 4 ns.     

Large Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity of a Novel Copper Phthalocyanine--Ferrocene Dyad

Third-order optical nonlinearity of a novel copper phthalocyanine-ferrocene dyad is measured by femtosecond forward degenerate four-wave mixing （DFWM） technique at 800 nm. The second-order hyperpolarizability of the novel copper phthalocyanine-ferrocene dyad is measured to be 1.74 ×10^-30 esu. This large and ultrafast thirdorder optical nonlinear response is mainly enhanced by the formation of intramolecular charge-transfer which can enhance the delocalized movements of the large π-electrons in the molecules.     

Off-Resonant Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity of Au Nanoparticle Array by Femtosecond Z-scan Measurement

A periodic triangular-shaped Au nanoparticle array is fabricated on a quartz substrate using nanosphere lithography and pulsed laser deposition, and the linear and nonlinear optical properties of metal particles are studied. The morphology of the polystyrene nanosphere mask （D = 820 nm） and the Au nanoparticle array are investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The surface plasmon resonance absorption peak is observed at 606 nm, which is in good agreement with the calculated result using the discrete dipole approximation method. By performing the Z-scan method with femtosecond laser （800 nm, 50 fs）, the optical nonlinearities of A u nanoparticle array are determined. The results show that the Au particles exhibit negative nonlinear absorption and positive nonlinear refractive index with the effective third-order optical nonlinear susceptibility Xeff^（3） can be up to （8.8 ± 1.0）× 10^-10 esu under non-resonant femtosecond laser excitation.     

Photoinduced Reorientation Process and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Ag Nanoparticle Doped Azo Polymer Films

Azobenzene polymer films doped with and without Ag nanoparticles are prepared. The photoinduced reorientation process is investigated by using an Nd：YVO4 pump beam at 532 nm and a low semiconductor laser beam at 650 nm. The reorientation rate of azo polymer films is enhanced in the presence of Ag nanoparticles, and the rate of the azo polymer film with Ag concentration of 2.2 μg/ml is larger than that of the azo polymer films with Ag concentrations of 1.1 μg/ml and 4.4 μg/ml. The third-order nonlinear optical properties of the Ag/azo composite film are obtained by the Z-scan technique at a wavelength of 532 nm, and the measured nonlinear refractive index is 9.258×10-9 esu. It is shown that the main mechanisms involved in the large nonlinear optical responses come from the local field enhancement of Ag nanoparticles and the nonlinear effect of the azo polymer matrix.     

An analytical model for cross-Kerr nonlinearity in a four-level N-type atomic system with Doppler broadening

We present an analytical model for cross-Kerr nonlinear coefficient in a four-level N-type atomic medium under Doppler broadening.The model is applied to87 Rb atoms to analyze the dependence of the cross-Kerr nonlinear coefficient on the external light field and the temperature of atomic vapor.The analysis shows that in the absence of electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT)the cross-Kerr nonlinear coefficient is zero,but it is significantly enhanced when the EIT is established.It means that the cross-Kerr effect can be turned on/off when the external light field is on or off.Simultaneously,the amplitude and the sign of the cross-Kerr nonlinear coefficient are easily changed according to the intensity and frequency of the external light field.The amplitude of the cross-Kerr nonlinear coefficient remarkably decreases when the temperature of atomic medium increases.The analytical model can be convenient to fit experimental observations and applied to photonic devices.     

Electrochemical,thermal,and photophysical properties of novel two-photon absorption chromophores

Electrochemical, thermal, and photophysical properties of novel two- （BPODPA）, four- （BBPOPA）, and six-branch （TBPOA） triphenylamine chromophores are studied. The decomposition temperature of chro- mophores reaches 373 - 412 ℃. The electrochemical properties is explored by cyclic voltammetry. The ionization potential of chromophores is in the range of 5.14 - 5.18 eV. Excitation at 400 nm reveals emission peaks at 483 - 487 nm and the fluorescence quantum yields are 0.73 - 0.75 in CH2Cl2. Two-photon absorption （TPA） properties of chromophores are measured by nonlinear transmission method. The maximum TPA cross-section values are measured at 758 nm to be 20369 GM （1 GM=10^-50 cm^4 -s/photon） for TBPOA, 7024 GM for BBPOPA, and 1227 GM for BPODPA, respectively. When pumped with 800-nm laser irradiation, chromophores show strong two-photon excited blue-green fluorescence at 502 - 518 nm. These results provide a basis for understanding the electronic and optical properties of the conjugated multi-branch chromoohore in terms of the underlying molecular and electronic structures.     

Nonlinear responses and optical limiting behavior of fast green FCF dye under a low power CW He-Ne laser irradiation

The nonlinear responses and optical limiting performance of a dye type acid, called fast green FCF, are investigated under irradiation of 35 mW continuous wave He-Ne Laser. The second order refractive index and nonlinear absorption coefficient are measured by use of z-Scan technique. The optical limiting behavior is investigated by transmission measurement through the sample. Linear absorption coefficient (α), nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) and second order refractive index (n₂) of fast green FCF are measured at different concentrations.     

Growth, optical and thermal studies on organic nonlinear optical crystal: 2-Furoic acid

2-Furoic acid (2FA), an organic third order nonlinear optical single crystal, has been synthesized and grown successfully by slow solvent evaporation technique. The space group and lattice parameters of the grown crystals were obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The presence of the functional groups was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Optical absorption studies reveal low absorption in the UV and visible regions and the UV cut-off wavelength is found to be at 240 nm. The thermal stability of the material examined by TGA analysis, reveals that the material is thermally stable up to 130 °C. The third order nonlinear optical parameters (nonlinear refractive index, nonlinear absorption coefficient and real and imaginary parts of the third order nonlinear optical susceptibility) were derived by Z-scan technique. This reveals that the crystal has a negative refractive index, which indicates the defocusing nature of the material.     

Crystal growth and characterization of L-valine cadmium acetate a semiorganic NLO crystals

A new semiorganic nonlinear optical material, L-valine cadmium acetate, was grown successfully from aqueous solution by slow evaporation method. The grown crystals characterized by using Powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the structure of the grown title compound. The functional groups have been identified using FTIR spectral data. Transmittance compound was analyzed by using UV-vis spectrum. The thermal behavior of the grown crystal was determined with the aid of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The dielectric constant was studied as a function of frequency for various temperatures. The grown crystal has positive photoconductivity nature. The fluorescence spectrum of the crystal was recorded and its optical band gap is about 3.4479 eV. Second order nonlinear optical property of the grown crystal has been confirmed by modified Kurtz–Perry powder second harmonic generation (SHG) test.     

Investigation on substituent effect in novel azo-naphthol dyes containing polymethacrylates for nonlinear optical studies

A novel structurally isomeric and free-radically polymerizable methacrylates bearing azo-naphthol group in the side chain spaced away from the backbone by a hexamethylene spacer and substituted in 4-position with electron-withdrawing and donating substituent were synthesized for NLO applications. These polymers were characterized by UV, IR, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. The photoisomerization properties of all the polymers were studied. The glass transition temperature and thermal stability of the polymers were investigated by DSC and TGA, respectively. The third-order nonlinear optical properties of the polymer film were measured by the Z-scan technique using Ar-ion laser and exhibits negative optical nonlinearity. The results revealed that these polymers possess potential applications in nonlinear optics.     

Z-Scan and Absorption Study of Crocin and Rhodamine B Decolorization by Bacterial Laccase

Dye decolorization is currently measured by the reduction of dye absorption, based on its linear optical properties in solution. However, this method is not suitable for high dye concentrations with linear attributes in the absorption spectra. In this work, nonlinear optical properties are used to study dye decolorization of Crocin and Rhodamine B treated with a bacterial laccase. For this purpose, the Z-scan was used to obtain the nonlinear refractive indices and nonlinear absorption coefficient of Rhodamine B and Crocin in the presence and absence of the bacterial laccase enzyme. The results showed that nonlinear optical properties could be used to study dye decolorization in solutions.     

锌酞菁配合物的线性与非线性光学性质研究

利用UV-Vis吸收光谱、荧光光谱及开孔Z扫描技术对五种锌酞菁配合物的DMF溶液进行了线性与非线性光学性质的表征;并以无取代锌酞菁为例,研究了酞菁溶液线性与非线性光学性能的浓度效应。结果表明五种酞菁均具有显著的荧光和非线性光学效应,其非线性吸收系数在10-9 cm·W-1数量级范围。且随酞菁浓度的改变,其荧光和非线性吸收明显改变,表现出强烈的浓度效应。     

nc-Ge/SiN_x多层膜材料的可调控非线性光学特性

采用等离子体增强化学气相沉积和后退火的方法制备了纳米锗/氮化硅(nc-Ge/SiN_x)多层薄膜。借助Raman光谱仪对其微结构进行表征,测得样品的晶化率大于46%。由样品的光吸收谱可知,nc-Ge的尺寸越小,其光学带隙越大。利用Z扫描技术对样品的非线性光学特性进行研究,以波长为1 064 nm、脉宽为25 ps的锁模激光作为激发光,测得样品的非线性折射率系数在10~(-10)cm~2/W数量级。实验结果表明,通过改变nc-Ge的尺寸可以使材料的非线性光学折射率由自散焦转变为自聚焦特性,而负的非线性折射率系数可归因于两步吸收产生的自由载流子散射效应。当激发光强增大时,在锗层厚度为6 nm的多层膜中同时存在两步吸收过程和饱和吸收过程。两种非线性光学吸收过程之间的竞争是样品呈现不同非线性光学特性的主要原因。     

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of Ag-As-Se chalcogenide glasses for all-optical switching

We prepared Ag(x)(As0.4Se0.6)(100-x) chalcogenide glasses by a melt-quenching method and measured their linear and nonlinear optical properties to evaluate their potential applications to all-optical ultrafast switching devices. Their nonlinear refraction and absorption were measured by the Z-scan method at 1.05 microm. The addition of Ag to As2Se3 glass led to an increase in the nonlinear refractive index without introducing an increase in the nonlinear absorption coefficient. The glass with a Ag content of x = 20 at. % revealed high nonlinearity ranging from 2000 to 27,000 times that of fused silica, depending on the incident optical intensity.     

1-(2-吡啶偶氮)-2-萘酚薄膜的非线性光学特性研究

运用Ｚ扫描方法研究了１－（２－吡啶偶氮）－２－萘酚薄膜的非线性光学特性。用皮秒脉冲激光测得在５３２ ｎｍ 处、光强较低时χ（３）Ｒ ＝ １．２９×１０－ ９ ｅｓｕ, β＝ ４２ ｃｍ ／ＧＷ; 同时研究了不同光脉冲能量时的非线性吸收特性, 发现其非线性吸收随着光强的增大由反饱和吸收转为饱和吸收