1. High-efficiency generation of harmonics in polythiophene
- Author
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L. V. Kulik, D. A. Nevostruev, A. V. Ivanenko, B. N. Nyushkov, S. I. Trashkeev, V. M. Klement'ev, N. T. Vasenin, and M. N. Khomyakov
- Subjects
Materials science ,business.industry ,Nonlinear optics ,Statistical and Nonlinear Physics ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Liquid crystal ,Harmonics ,Optoelectronics ,Polythiophene ,High harmonic generation ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering ,business - Abstract
High-efficiency harmonic generation is observed in a semiconducting polymer RR-P3HT [regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene)], which exhibits a high nonlinear susceptibility [χ (2) > 10−6 m V−1] under pumping by a pulsed fibre laser. The harmonic generation efficiency in RR-P3HT is comparable or higher than that observed for liquid crystals, which are used in reference experiments to estimate the susceptibility [the quadratic susceptibility of a nematic liquid crystal NLC 1289 is χ (2) ≈ 2 × 10−6 m V−1]. No generation is observed in polythiophene with a random structure, RRa-P3HT [regiorandom poly(3-hexylthiophene)], at the same pump power. It is experimentally demonstrated that a necessary condition for generating the second and third harmonics in a polymer, along with a high pump power density, is the presence of a large power density gradient (exceeding 1013 W m−3). Based on a preliminary theoretical analysis, we can suggest that the quadrupole mechanism, which is a consequence of the regularity of RR-P3HT structure in the thin near-wall layer, may contribute significantly to the nonlinear radiation conversion in semiconducting polymers.
- Published
- 2021