Nonlinear optical and electroabsorption spectra of polydiacetylene crystals and films

Observation of three-photon enhanced four-photon absorption

We report the measurement of instantaneous resonant four-photon absorption in the polydiacetylene-PTS [polymer poly(bis para-toluene sulfonate) of 2,4-hexadyine-1,6 diol]. Although normally too weak to be observable, an exact degeneracy between three- and four-photon absorption into the dominant exciton and two-photon states, respectively, resonantly enhances this effect so that it can be measured (four-photon coefficient alpha(4)=0.01 cm(5)/GW(3)) at its peak wavelength of 1900 nm. Femtosecond measurements from 1200 to 2200 nm of two- and three-photon absorption, and the nonlinear refractive index coefficient are also reported.

Stark spectroscopy: applications in chemistry, biology, and materials science

Stark spectroscopy has been applied to a wide range of molecular systems and materials. A generally useful method for obtaining electronic and vibrational Stark spectra that does not require sophisticated equipment is described. By working with frozen glasses it is possible to study nearly any molecular system, including ions and proteins. Quantitative analysis of the spectra provides information on the change in dipole moment and polarizability associated with a transition. The change in dipole moment reflects the degree of charge separation for a transition, a quantity of interest to a variety of fields. The polarizability change describes the sensitivity of a transition to an electrostatic field such as that found in a protein or an ordered synthetic material. Applications to donor-acceptor polyenes, transition metal complexes (metal-to-ligand and metal-to-metal mixed valence transitions), and nonphotosynthetic biological systems are reviewed.