Nanosecond nonlinear optical and optical limiting properties of Eu3+ activated borate glasses embedded with silver nanoparticles.

Nonlinear optical and optical limiting attributes are evaluated at 532 nm using nanosecond laser pulses. The nonlinear coefficients such as nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refractive index values are increased with increase in AgNO3 concertation while the optical limiting threshold values showed a reverse trend. The increase in nonlinear optical properties in studied glasses with the Ag nanoparticles number density attributed to the local field effect stimulated by surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles when glasses are exposed to high energy radiation. The increase in nonlinear absorption and decrease in optical limiting threshold coefficients with AgNO3 concertation suggest the glasses containing high concentration of Ag nanoparticles are useful for designing the power optical limiters for functioning at the visible region under nanosecond regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]