Ebook: Photoinduced Modifications of the Nonlinear Optical Response in Liquid Crystalline Azopolymers

Nonlinear optical (NLO) phenomena such as frequency conversion have played a key role in the development of photonic technologies. This thesis reports a detailed study of the molecular response of a large variety of push-pull organic compounds using the Second Harmonic Generation technique, which will serve as a starting point for the investigation at the macroscopic scale of azobenzene-based liquid crystalline polymeric films and their blends with highly efficient NLO
chromophores. These materials are designed with the aim of exploiting their photoadressability in order to tailor their nonlinear behaviour. The magnitude and symmetry of their NL response was successfully controlled via light irradiation and thermal treatments. Moreover, as a specific application, the recording of efficient NLO gratings was achieved.

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Nonlinear optical (NLO) phenomena such as frequency conversion have played a key role in the development of photonic technologies. This thesis reports a detailed study of the molecular response of a large variety of push-pull organic compounds using the Second Harmonic Generation technique, which will serve as a starting point for the investigation at the macroscopic scale of azobenzene-based liquid crystalline polymeric films and their blends with highly efficient NLO chromophores. These materials are designed with the aim of exploiting their photo-addressability in order to tailor their nonlinear behaviour. The magnitude and symmetry of their nonlinear response was successfully controlled via light irradiation and thermal treatments. Moreover, as a specific application, the recording of efficient NLO gratings was achieved and is described here.

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Nonlinear optical (NLO) phenomena such as frequency conversion have played a key role in the development of photonic technologies. This thesis reports a detailed study of the molecular response of a large variety of push-pull organic compounds using the Second Harmonic Generation technique, which will serve as a starting point for the investigation at the macroscopic scale of azobenzene-based liquid crystalline polymeric films and their blends with highly efficient NLO chromophores. These materials are designed with the aim of exploiting their photo-addressability in order to tailor their nonlinear behaviour. The magnitude and symmetry of their nonlinear response was successfully controlled via light irradiation and thermal treatments. Moreover, as a specific application, the recording of efficient NLO gratings was achieved and is described here.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xx
Introduction and Basic Theory....Pages 1-33
Experimental Methods....Pages 35-65
Nonlinear Optical Molecular Response....Pages 67-90
Piperazine Azopolymer Thin Films....Pages 91-134
Films of Doped Low Polar Azopolymers....Pages 135-152
Nonlinear Optical Gratings....Pages 153-160
General Conclusions....Pages 161-163
Back Matter....Pages 165-198

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Nonlinear optical (NLO) phenomena such as frequency conversion have played a key role in the development of photonic technologies. This thesis reports a detailed study of the molecular response of a large variety of push-pull organic compounds using the Second Harmonic Generation technique, which will serve as a starting point for the investigation at the macroscopic scale of azobenzene-based liquid crystalline polymeric films and their blends with highly efficient NLO chromophores. These materials are designed with the aim of exploiting their photo-addressability in order to tailor their nonlinear behaviour. The magnitude and symmetry of their nonlinear response was successfully controlled via light irradiation and thermal treatments. Moreover, as a specific application, the recording of efficient NLO gratings was achieved and is described here.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xx
Introduction and Basic Theory....Pages 1-33
Experimental Methods....Pages 35-65
Nonlinear Optical Molecular Response....Pages 67-90
Piperazine Azopolymer Thin Films....Pages 91-134
Films of Doped Low Polar Azopolymers....Pages 135-152
Nonlinear Optical Gratings....Pages 153-160
General Conclusions....Pages 161-163
Back Matter....Pages 165-198
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