Third- and fifth-order optical nonlinearities of norbixin
Nefe J.B. Silva, F. de B. Melo, Henrique T.M.C.M. Baltar, Janildo Lopes Magalhães, Vicente Galber Freitas Viana, Francisco Eroni Paz dos Santos, Hans García
Abstract
In this work, we investigated the nonlinear response of norbixin (C24H28O4) in acetone. The third- and fifth-order optical nonlinearities were measured using the conventional Z-scan technique, with 357 fs laser pulses at 1040 nm and low-repetition rate (1 kHz). It is shown that, at intensities lower than 99 GW/cm2, the nonlinear refraction process was determined by the only third-order process. However, at higher intensities, the third- and fifth-order refractive nonlinearities coexist with opposite signs: n2 = (4.43 ± 0.44) × 10−16 cm2/W and n4 = (−4.65 ± 0.46) × 10−27 cm4/W2. On the other hand, the open-aperture Z-scan measurements show an effective three-photon absorption (3PA) with 9.19±0.92×10-23 cm4/W2. The physical mechanisms of the observed nonlinearity are also discussed.