Optical limiting based on multiphoton processes in carbon nanostructures and heterocyclic quadrupolar molecules

Raffaella Signorini; D. Pedron; C. Ferrante; Renato Bozio; Giovanna Brusatin; Plinio Innocenzi; F. Della Negra; Michele Maggini; Alessandro Abbotto; L. Beverina; Giorgio A. Pagani

doi:10.1117/12.454849

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14 February 2003 Optical limiting based on multiphoton processes in carbon nanostructures and heterocyclic quadrupolar molecules

Raffaella Signorini, D. Pedron, C. Ferrante, Renato Bozio, Giovanna Brusatin, Plinio Innocenzi, F. Della Negra, Michele Maggini, Alessandro Abbotto, L. Beverina, Giorgio A. Pagani

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Proceedings Volume 4797, Multiphoton Absorption and Nonlinear Transmission Processes: Materials, Theory, and Applications; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.454849
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2002, Seattle, WA, United States

Abstract

A novel scheme for implementing the joint exploitation of different, somehow complementary mechanisms of nonlinear transmission in an optical limiting device is proposed. As active materials we have chosen the fullerene derivative FULP, as a reverse saturable absorber, and a new heterocyclic quadrupolar dye, PEPEP, with highly efficient multiphoton absorption for nanosecond pulses. The nonlinear absorption properties of PEPEP in solution are extensively investigated for both femtosecond and nanosecond pulses. When Z-scan experiments are performed with nanosecond pulses, much larger effective cross sections are measured than with femtosecond pulses and with remarkably different wavelength dispersion. This is interpreted as due to two-photon absorption followed by one-photon absorption from the excited state. Chemically modified nonlinear molecules are incorporated in a hybrid organic-inorganic sol-gel matrix. Sufficiently high concentrations are achieved to allow the assembling of thin sol-gel disks into a "tandem" limiter with a total thickness smaller than the Rayleigh range of the focused laser beam. Preliminary testing of our limiter is reported and shows encouraging results. The resistance of the FULP-doped sol-gel glass to laser damage is substantially improved and the nonlinear attenuation at high pulse energies is enhanced.

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Raffaella Signorini, D. Pedron, C. Ferrante, Renato Bozio, Giovanna Brusatin, Plinio Innocenzi, F. Della Negra, Michele Maggini, Alessandro Abbotto, L. Beverina, and Giorgio A. Pagani "Optical limiting based on multiphoton processes in carbon nanostructures and heterocyclic quadrupolar molecules", Proc. SPIE 4797, Multiphoton Absorption and Nonlinear Transmission Processes: Materials, Theory, and Applications, (14 February 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.454849

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