Influence of Polar Solvents on Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Features of Methyl Red Dye.

This study emphasis the solvent effect on third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) features of methyl red (MR) dye dissolved in polar solvents including ethanol, methanol, acetone, 1-propanol, DMF and DMSO using low power diode laser. Z-scan technique operating at 405 nm wavelength, is used to estimate the third-order NLO features of MR dye in various solvents. The dye discloses self-defocusing nonlinear index of refraction (n2), which is determined to be the order of 10-7 cm2/W. The nonlinear coefficient of absorption (ß) of MR dye displays both negative and positive value owing to saturable absorption (SA) and reverse saturable absorption (RSA), respectively. The real and imaginary components of the third-order NLO susceptibility of MR dye in polar solvents are measured to be the order of 10-6 esu and 10-7 esu, respectively. The dye exhibits a large NLO susceptibility in DMSO, which is estimated to be 1.21 × 10-6 esu. The effect of solvent spectral features on MR dye is determined by applying a multi-parameter scale called Kamlet-Abboud-Taft. The experiment results indicate that MR dye is a promising NLO material that may find applications in photonics and optoelectronics.

Fabrication, Characterization of Basic Blue 7 Dye-Doped PVA Films and Their Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties.

In this work, we report on the fabrication, characterization and the third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of basic blue 7 (BB 7) dye‒doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer thin films. The absorption spectra of BB 7 dye‒PVA films were measured by UV‒visible absorption studies. The functional groups of BB 7‒PVA films have been identified by FT‒IR spectroscopic analysis. The surface morphology was examined by AFM and SEM analysis which shows that the BB 7 dye‒doped PVA films have a homogenous and smooth surface. The nonlinear absorption and refraction of BB 7‒PVA films were respectively explored by open aperture and closed aperture Z‒scan technique using a 5 mW semiconductor diode laser of 635 nm wavelengths. The BB 7‒PVA films exhibit the reverse saturable absorption (RSA) and self-defocusing effect and the measured third‒order nonlinear susceptibility χ(3) values of these films were found to be of the order of 10- 5 esu. The present experimental results show that BB 7‒PVA films may have potential applications in future photonic and NLO devices.

Exploring control parameters of two photon processes in solutions.

Two-photon microscopy depends extensively on the two-photon absorption cross-sections of biologically relevant chromophores. High repetition rate (HRR) lasers are essential in multiphoton microscopy for generating satisfactory signal to noise at low average powers. However, HRR lasers generate thermal distortions in samples even with the slightest single photon absorption. We use an optical chopper with HRR lasers to intermittently 'blank' irradiation and effectively minimize thermal effects to result in a femtosecond z-scan setup that precisely measures the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-sections of chromophores. Though several experimental factors impact such TPA measurements, a systematic effort to modulate and influence TPA characteristics is yet to evolve. Here, we present the effect of several control parameters on the TPA process that are independent of chromophore characteristics for femtosecond laser pulse based measurements; and demonstrate how the femtosecond laser pulse repetition rate, chromophore environment and incident laser polarization can become effective control parameters for such nonlinear optical properties.