Nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction: Maximizing the merit factors
Paper in proceeding, 2012

Both nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction are effects that are potentially useful for a plethora of applications in photonics, nanophotonics and biophotonics. Despite substantial attention given to these phenomena by researchers studying the merits of disparate systems such as organic materials, hybrid materials, metal-containing molecules and nanostructures, it is virtually impossible to compare the results obtained on different materials when varying parameters of the light beams and different techniques are employed. We have attempted to address the problem by studying the properties of various systems in a systematic way, within a wide range of wavelengths, and including the regions of onephoton, two-photon and three-photon absorption. The objects of our studies have been typical nonlinear chromophores, such as π-conjugated molecules, oligomers and polymers, organometallics and coordination complexes containing transition metals, organometallic dendrimers, small metal-containing clusters, and nanoparticles of various kinds, including semiconductor quantum dots, plasmonic particles and rare-earth doped nanocrystals. We discuss herein procedures to quantify the nonlinear response of all of these systems, by defining and comparing the merit factors relevant for various applications.

nonlinear refractive index

nonlinear microscopy

all-optical switching

3D information storage

Nonlinear absorbers

Author

Marek Samoc

Australian National University

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

K. Matczyszyn

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

M. Nyk

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

J. Olesiak-Banska

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

D. Wawrzynczyk

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

Piotr Hanczyc

Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Physical Chemistry

J. Szeremeta

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

M. Wielgus

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

M. Gordel

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

L. Mazur

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC)

R. Kolkowski

Laboratoire de photonique quantique et moleculaire

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

B. Straszak

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

M. P. Cifuentes

Australian National University

M. G. Humphrey

Australian National University

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

0277786X (ISSN) 1996756X (eISSN)

Vol. 8258 Art. no. 82580V- 82580V
9780819489012 (ISBN)

Subject Categories

Physical Chemistry

DOI

10.1117/12.912236

ISBN

9780819489012

More information

Latest update

6/24/2019