Title

Nonlinear light absorption of polymethine dyes in liquid and solid media

Authors

Authors

O. V. Przhonska; J. H. Lim; D. J. Hagan; E. W. Van Stryland; M. V. Bondar;Y. L. Slominsky

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B-Opt. Phys.

Keywords

POLYMERIC MEDIA; N2 MEASUREMENTS; ORGANIC-DYES; SINGLE-BEAM; SEMICONDUCTORS; Optics

Abstract

We investigate nonlinear optical absorption of a series of polymethine dyes in liquid solution and in a solid poly(urethane acrylate) elastopolymer host. Depending on the ratio between the absorption cross section from the ground to the first excited state (sigma(01)) and from the first to the higher excited states (sigma(12)) and on the pump wavelength, they demonstrate absorption that either increases or decreases with increasing incident energy density. Our interest is directed at studying the optical Limiting behavior of the dyes for sensor protection applications, which requires that sigma(12) be greater than sigma(01). We performed a detailed investigation of the dynamics of these processes, using Z scan and pump-probe techniques at the single wavelength of 532 nm. We obtained sigma(12)/sigma(01) approximate to 80 for one of the dyes, which is significantly higher than any previously reported value of which we are aware. The Linear absorption remained significant, a requirement for good optical limiting. However, at high incident energy density for most of the dyes the increasing absorption converted to a bleaching effect with repeated irradiation. This effect was reversed after several seconds in liquid solutions and several minutes in the polymer host, possibly because of replenishment of the dye by diffusion in both media. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.

Journal Title

Journal of the Optical Society of America B-Optical Physics

Volume

15

Issue/Number

2

Publication Date

1-1-1998

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

802

Last Page

809

WOS Identifier

WOS:000072015600034

ISSN

0740-3224

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