Femtosecond-to-nanosecond nonlinear spectroscopy of polymethine molecules

    Authors

    R. S. Lepkowicz; C. M. Cirloganu; J. Fu; O. V. Przhonska; D. J. Hagan; E. W. Van Stryland; M. V. Bondar; Y. L. Slominsky;A. D. Kachkovski

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

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

    Keywords

    EXCITED-STATE ABSORPTION; REVERSE SATURABLE ABSORBERS; SQUARYLIUM; MOLECULES; TRANSIENT REGIME; DYES; DYNAMICS; CARBOCYANINES; RELAXATION; ANISOTROPY; REFRACTION; Optics

    Abstract

    The linear and nonlinear optical properties of a series of polymethine molecules are investigated to study the effects of molecular structure and the host environment on overall nonlinear absorption performance. The linear characterization includes measuring the solvatochromic shifts between absorption and fluorescence peaks and studying the excited-state orientational diffusion kinetics. The nonlinear characterization involves measuring the excited-state absorption spectra with a femtosecond white-light-continuum pump-probe technique and performing Z scans and nonlinear transmission measurements from the picosecond to the nanosecond time regimes. The results of these experiments allow us to develop an energy-level structure for the polymethines, which accurately predicts nonlinear absorption properties from the picosecond to the nanosecond time regimes. From this model we are able to identify the key molecular parameters for improved nonlinear absorption. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America

    Journal Title

    Journal of the Optical Society of America B-Optical Physics

    Volume

    22

    Issue/Number

    12

    Publication Date

    1-1-2005

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    2664

    Last Page

    2685

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000233922700018

    ISSN

    0740-3224

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