Picosecond optical nonlinearities in symmetrical and unsymmetrical phthalocyanines studied using the Z-scan technique

Abstract

We present our experimental results on the picosecond nonlinear optical (NLO) studies of symmetrical and unsymmetrical phthalocyanines, examined using the Z-scan technique. Both the open-aperture and closed-aperture Z-scan curves for three samples were recorded and the nonlinear coefficients were extracted from the theoretical fits. The nonlinear absorption/refraction contribution from the solvent was also identified. The observed open aperture behaviour for these molecules is understood in terms of the absorption coefficients of these molecules near 800 nm and the peak intensities used. It is established that these phthalocyanines exhibit large optical nonlinearities and, hence, are suitable for optical limiting applications.