Back
New electro-optic effect: Sum-frequency generation from optically active liquids in the presence of a dc electric field
We report the observation of sum-frequency signals that depend linearly on an applied electrostatic field and that change sign with the handedness of an optically active solute. This recently predicted chiral electro-optic effect exists in the electric-dipole approximation. The static electric field gives rise to an electric-field-induced sum-frequency signal (an achiral third-order process) that interferes with the chirality-specific sum-frequency at second order. The cross-terms linear in the electrostatic field constitute the effect and may be used to determine the absolute sign of second- and third-order nonlinear-optical susceptibilities in isotropic media.
@article{ISI:000186138300019, title = {New electro-optic effect: Sum-frequency generation from optically active liquids in the presence of a dc electric field}, journal = {PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS}, abstract = {We report the observation of sum-frequency signals that depend linearly on an applied electrostatic field and that change sign with the handedness of an optically active solute. This recently predicted chiral electro-optic effect exists in the electric-dipole approximation. The static electric field gives rise to an electric-field-induced sum-frequency signal (an achiral third-order process) that interferes with the chirality-specific sum-frequency at second order. The cross-terms linear in the electrostatic field constitute the effect and may be used to determine the absolute sign of second- and third-order nonlinear-optical susceptibilities in isotropic media.}, volume = {91}, number = {17}, year = {2003}, slug = {isi-000186138300019}, author = {Fischer, Peer and Buckingham, AD and Beckwitt, K and Wiersma, DS and Wise, FW} }