Third-harmonic generation from a simple air-dielectric interface
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
Although THG is dipole-allowed in the bulk of all dielectric media, at the interface between two different nonabsorbing media the THG is significantly enhanced. This phenomenon led us to introduce a necessary third-order surface nonlinear susceptibility {chi}{sub surface}{sup (3)} and raise concerns over many previously done experiments on bulk THG in transparent materials. Optical third-harmonic generation (THG) is dipole-allowed and is a universal property occurred in all centrosymmetry and noncentrosymmetry materials. But at the interface of two different media, THG becomes highly operative yielding significant THG photons when a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser oscillator is used. Although the THG photon conversion efficiency is lower than that of a typical phase-matched harmonic crystal, it is important to note that surface-enhanced optical THG is rather fundamental occurring at interface of all media free from the constraint of a phase-matching condition and wavelength restriction. Optical THG at an interface to a wavelength that is not achievable by any harmonic crystal is thus possible. These results may lead to a new development using surface THG on surface-enhanced studies and prompt one to re-examine the processes of high-harmonic generation at interfaces.
- OSTI ID:
- 437551
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9509141--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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