Nonresonant Nonlinearity of Silver Nanoparticles

Results of experimental investigations of the process of nonlinear refraction in composite materials based on silver nanoparticles in the region far from the plasma surface resonance of the nanoparticles (λ = 1064 nm) are presented. The reflection Z-scanning technique was used for measurements, which made it possible to determine both the sign and the values of nonlinear refractive indices and real parts of the 3rd-order nonlinear susceptibility of composite materials. The mechanism responsible for the process of nonlinear refraction in specimens is discussed. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 5, pp. 650–653, September–October, 2005.