Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6): A Multi-Chromophore Chalcogenide with Excellent Nonlinear Optical Property Designed by Group Grafting

Non-centrosymmetric (NCS) and polar materials capable of exhibiting many important functional properties are indispensable for electro-optical technologies, yet their rational structural design remains a significant challenge. Here, we report a "group grafting" strategy for designing the first multi-chromophore selenophosphate, Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6), that crystallizes in a NCS and polar space group of Cm. The structure features a unique basic building unit (BBU) [In(In4Se10)(P2Se6)], formed through "grafting [In4Se10] supertetrahedra on the root of [In(P2Se6)2] groups". Theoretical calculations confirm that this [In(In4Se10)(P2Se6)] BBU can achieve a "1+1>2" combination of properties from two chromophores, [In4Se10] supertetrahedron and ethane-like [P2Se6] dimer. That makes Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6) exhibit excellent linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, including a strong second harmonic generation (SHG) response (~6×AgGaS2), a large band gap (2.45 eV), broad infrared (IR) transmission (up to 19.5 μm), a significant birefringence (0.26 @1064 nm) as well as the congruently-melting property at ~700 °C. Therefore, Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6) will be a promising NLO crystal, especially in the IR region, and this research also demonstrates that "group grafting" will be an effective strategy for constructing novel polar BBUs with multi-chromophore to design NCS structures and high-performance IR NLO materials.

Interactions of Fundamental Mie Modes with Thin Epsilon-near-Zero Substrates

Extensive research has focused on Mie modes in dielectric nanoresonators, enabling the creation of thin optical devices surpassing their bulk counterparts. This study investigates the interactions between two fundamental Mie modes, electric and magnetic dipoles, and the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) mode. Analytical, simulation, and experimental analyses reveal that the presence of the ENZ substrate significantly modifies these modes despite a large size mismatch. Electric and magnetic dipole modes, both with ∼12 THz line widths, exhibit 21 and 26 THz anticrossings, respectively, when coupled to the ENZ mode, indicating strong coupling. We also demonstrate that this strongly coupled system yields notably large subpicosecond nonlinear responses. Our results establish a solid foundation for designing functional, nonlinear, dynamic dielectric metasurfaces with ENZ materials.

Ultrashort Phase-Matching Wavelength and Strong Second-Harmonic Generation in Deep-UV-Transparent Oxyfluorides by Covalency Reduction

The development of urgently-needed ultraviolet (UV)/deep-UV nonlinear optical (NLO) materials has been hindered by contradictory requirements of the microstructure, in particular the need for a strong second-harmonic generation (SHG) response as well as a short phase-matching (PM) wavelength. We herein employ a "de-covalency" band gap engineering strategy to adjust the optical linearity and nonlinearity. This has been achieved by assembling two types of transition-metal (TM) polyhedra ([TaO2 F4 ] and [TaF7 ]), affording the first tantalum-based deep-UV-transparent NLO materials, A5 Ta3 OF18 (A = K (KTOF), Rb (RTOF)). Experimental and theoretical studies reveal that the highly ionic bonds and strong electropositivity of tantalum in the two oxyfluorides induce record short PM wavelengths (238 (KTOF) and 240 (RTOF) nm) for d0 -TM-centered oxides, in addition to strong SHG responses (2.8 × KH2 PO4 (KTOF) and 2.6 × KH2 PO4 (RTOF)), and sufficient birefringences (0.092 (KTOF) and 0.085 (RTOF) at 546 nm). These results not only broaden the available strategies for achieving deep-UV NLO materials by exploiting the currently neglected d0 -TMs, but also push the shortest PM wavelength into the short-wavelength UV region.

Giant Mid-Infrared Second-Harmonic Generation Response in a Densely-Stacked Van Der Waals Transition-Metal Oxychloride

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a fundamental optical property of nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals. Thus far, it has proved difficult to engineer large SHG responses, particularly in the mid-infrared region, owing to the difficulty in simultaneously controlling the arrangement and density of functional NLO-active units. Herein, a new assembly strategy employing functional modules only, and aimed at maximizing the density and optimizing the spatial arrangement of highly efficient functional modules, has been applied to the preparation of NLO crystals, affording the van der Waals crystal MoO2 Cl2 . This exhibits the strongest powder SHG response (2.1×KTiOPO4 (KTP) @ 2100 nm) for a transition-metal oxyhalide, a wide optical transparency window, and a sufficient birefringence. MoO2 Cl2 is the first SHG-active transition-metal oxyhalide effective in the infrared region. Theoretical studies and crystal structure analysis suggest that the densely packed, optimally-aligned [MoO4 Cl2 ] modules within the two-dimensional van der Waals layers are responsible for the giant SHG response.

Polar Phosphorus Chalcogenide Cage Molecules: Enhancement of Nonlinear Optical Properties in Adducts

Inorganic adducts are an emerging class of infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. However, although the reported NLO adducts have sufficient birefringences and significant laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDTs), they commonly suffer from weak second harmonic generation (SHG) responses. In this work, a series of polar phosphorus chalcogenide cage molecules with strong hyperpolarizabilities were theoretically screened out to enhance the SHG responses of adducts. Accordingly, (CuI)₃ (P₄ S₄ ), (CuI)₃ (P₄ Se₄ ), (CuBr)₇ (P₄ S₃ )₃ and (CuBr)₇ (P₄ Se₃ )₃ with target polar cage molecules were successfully synthesized. As expected, they exhibit enhanced SHG responses while keeping moderate birefringences and high LIDTs. Notably, (CuBr)₇ (P₄ Se₃ )₃ possesses the largest SHG response (3.5×AGS@2.05 μm) among the known inorganic NLO adducts. Our study confirms that introducing NLO-active cage molecules into adducts is an efficient strategy for high-performance NLO materials.

Nonlinear Optical Glass-Ceramic From a New Polar Phase-Transition Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Crystal

Melt-quenched glasses of organic-inorganic hybrid crystals, i.e., hybrid glasses, have attracted increasing attention as an emerging class of hybrid materials with beneficial processability and formability in the past years. Herein, we present a new hybrid crystal, (Ph₃ PEt)₃ [Ni(NCS)₅ ] (1, Ph₃ PEt⁺ =ethyl(triphenyl)phosphonium), crystallizing in a polar space group P1 and exhibiting thermal-induced reversible crystal-liquid-glass-crystal transitions with relatively low melting temperature of 132 °C, glass-transition temperature of 40 °C, and recrystallization on-set temperature of 78 °C, respectively. Taking advantage of such mild conditions, we fabricated an unprecedented hybrid glass-ceramic thin film, i.e., a thin glass uniformly embedding inner polar micro-crystals, which exhibits a much enhanced intrinsic second-order nonlinear optical effect, being ca. 25.6 and 3.1 times those of poly-crystalline 1 and KH₂ PO₄ , respectively, without any poling treatments.

Na2 Ba[Na2 Sn2 S7 ]: Structural Tolerance Factor-Guided NLO Performance Improvement

The strong mutual coupling of and even the opposite change in the key parameters, such as the band gap (E_g ) and second-order harmonic generation (SHG), leads to the extreme scarcity in high-performance IR nonlinear optical (NLO) chalcogenides. Herein, we report 8 new sulfides, Na₂ Ba[(Ag_x Na_1-x )₂ Sn₂ S₇ ] (1, x=0; 1 series, x=0.1-0.6; Na₂ Ba[(Li_0.58 Na_0.42 )₂ Sn₂ S₇ ], 1-0.6Li); Na₂ Sr[Cu₂ Sn₂ S₇ ] (2); and Na₂ Ba[Cu₂ Sn₂ S₇ ] (3). We use the structural tolerance factor ( t I e x p ${{t}_{I}^{exp}}$ ) to connect the chemical composition, crystal structure, and NLO properties. Guided by these correlations, a better balance between E_g and SHG is realized in 1, which exhibits a large E_g of 3.42 eV and excellent NLO properties (SHG: 1.5×AGS; laser-induced damage threshold: 12×AGS), representing the best performance among the known Hg- or As-free sulfides to date.

Aluminoborates as Nonlinear Optical Materials

Ultraviolet (UV) and Deep-UV (DUV, λ<200 nm) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials play a significant role to convert the wavelength of laser for producing UV/DUV coherent light in the laser industry. The Al [Ne]3s² 3p¹ atom with empty d orbitals can form sp³ , sp³ d, and sp³ d² hybrid orbitals when bonding with O/F atoms, which leads to the construction of [AlO_m F_n ] (m+n=4, 5, 6) units. Therein, aluminoborates have received intensive attention due to the effective structural and functional adjustment effects of the diverse Al-O/F units. Accordingly, numerous aluminoborates as candidates for the next generation of UV/DUV NLO materials were discovered. In this review, recently discovered aluminoborates are overviewed and analyzed, including their syntheses, crystal structure features, and second-order NLO performances. We aim to provide the latest progress and outlook on the crystal chemistry of aluminoborates and boost the finding of the next NLO candidates with high performances.

Covalent Organic Frameworks as Emerging Nonlinear Optical Materials

The vastness of organic synthetic strategies and knowledge of reticular chemistry have made covalent organic frameworks (COFs) one of the most chemically and structurally diverse class of materials with potential applications ranging from gas storage, molecular separation, and catalysis to energy storage and magnetism. Recently, this class of porous materials has garnered increasing interest as potential nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. Traditionally, inorganic crystals, small-molecule organic chromophores, and oligomers have been studied for their NLO response. Nevertheless, COFs offer significant advantages over existing NLO materials in terms of higher mechanical strength, thermochemical stability, and extended conjugation. Herein, we discuss crucial aspects, terminology, and measurement techniques related to NLO, followed by a critical analysis of the design principles for COFs with NLO response. Furthermore, we touch on selected potential applications of these NLO materials. Finally, future prospects and challenges of COFs as NLO materials are discussed.

Electrochemically-Switched 2nd Order Non-Linear Optical Response in an Arylimido-Polyoxometalate with High Contrast and Cyclability

Electrochemically switched 2^nd order non-linear optical responses have been demonstrated for the first time in polyoxometalates (POMs), with an arylimido-derivative showing a leading combination of high on/off contrast (94 %), high visible transparency, and cyclability. Spectro-electrochemical and TD-DFT studies indicate that the switch-off results from weakened charge transfer (CT) character of the electronic transitions in the reduced state. This represents the first study of an imido-POM reduced state, and demonstrates the potential of POM hybrids as electrochemically activated molecular switches.

On-off-on Control of Molecular Inversion Symmetry via Multi-stage Protonation: Elucidating Vibronic Laporte Rule

The Laporte rule dictates that one- and two-photon absorption spectra of inversion-symmetric molecules should display alternatively forbidden electronic transitions; however, for organic fluorophores, drawing clear distinction between the symmetric- and non-inversion symmetric two-photon spectra is often obscured due to prevalent vibronic interactions. We take advantage of consecutive single- and double-protonation to break and then reconstitute inversion symmetry in a nominally symmetric diketopyrrolopyrrole, causing large changes in two-photon absorption. By performing detailed one- and two-photon titration experiments, with supporting quantum-chemical model calculations, we explain how certain low-frequency vibrational modes may lead to apparent deviations from the strict Laporte rule. As a result, the system may be indeed considered as an on-off-on inversion symmetry switch, opening new avenues for two-photon sensing applications.

Eu2 P2 S6 : The First Rare-Earth Chalcogenophosphate Exhibiting Large Second-Harmonic Generation Response and High Laser-Induced Damage Threshold

Metal chalcogenophosphates are receiving increasing interest, specifically as promising infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) candidates. Here, a rare-earth chalcogenophosphate Eu₂ P₂ S₆ crystallizing in the monoclinic noncentrosymmetric space group Pn was synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state method. Its structure features isolated [P₂ S₆ ]^4- dimer, and two types of EuS₈ bicapped triangular prisms. Eu₂ P₂ S₆ exhibits a phase-matchable second-harmonic generation (SHG) response ≈0.9×AgGaS₂ @2.1 μm, and high laser-induced damage threshold of 3.4×AgGaS₂ , representing the first rare-earth NLO chalcogenophosphate. The theoretical calculation result suggests that the SHG response is ascribed to the synergetic contribution of [P₂ S₆ ]^4- dimers and EuS₈ bicapped triangular prisms. This work provides not only a promising high-performance infrared NLO material, but also opens the avenue for exploring rare-earth chalcogenophosphates as potential IR NLO materials.

Nanostructured Colloidal Solutions of Malachite Green Formulated: Nonlinear Optical Properties and Simulation

Malachite green (MG) is a dye that has been presented to use as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) and nonlinear refractive index (n₂) of MG formulations with micelles and its encapsulation are studied aiming PDT. Encapsulation of MG was prepared by the mixture of water droplet in the continuous phase of oil, stabilized with surfactant. MG interacts with micelles and reverses micelle (RM), and the results are related to the size and concentration of micelles, RM, surfactant charge types. At low capsule size, the 1/β linearly increases by the increase of volume fraction of water droplet, while, an exponential behavior was observed in the higher capsule size.

Chiral Hybrid Copper(I) Halides for High Efficiency Second Harmonic Generation with a Broadband Transparency Window

Chiral hybrid organic-inorganic metal halides (HOMHs) with intrinsic noncentrosymmetry have shown great promise for applications in second-order nonlinear optics (NLO). However, established chiral HOMHs often suffer from their relatively small band gaps, which lead to negative impacts on transparent window and laser-induced damage thresholds (LDT). Here, we have synthesized two chiral HOMHs based on Cu^I halides, namely (R-/S-MBA)CuBr₂ , which feature well-balanced NLO performances with a highly efficient SHG response, outstanding optical transparency, and high LDT. The effective second-order NLO coefficient of (R-MBA)CuBr₂ has been determined to be ≈24.7 pm V^-1 , which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of their Cu^II counterparts. This work shows the promising potential of Cu^I -based chiral HOMHs for nonlinear photonic applications in wide wavelength regions.

Hyperpolarizability of Plasmonic Meta-Atoms in Metasurfaces

Plasmonic metasurfaces are promising as enablers of nanoscale nonlinear optics and flat nonlinear optical components. Nonlinear optical responses of such metasurfaces are determined by the nonlinear optical properties of individual plasmonic meta-atoms. Unfortunately, no simple methods exist to determine the nonlinear optical properties (hyperpolarizabilities) of the meta-atoms hindering the design of nonlinear metasurfaces. Here, we develop the equivalent RLC circuit (resistor, inductor, capacitor) model of such meta-atoms to estimate their second-order nonlinear optical properties, that is, the first-order hyperpolarizability in the optical spectral range. In parallel, we extract from second-harmonic generation experiments the first-order hyperpolarizabilities of individual meta-atoms consisting of asymmetrically shaped (elongated) plasmonic nanoprisms, verified with detailed calculations using both nonlinear hydrodynamic-FDTD and nonlinear scattering theory. All three approaches, analytical, experimental, and computational, yield results that agree very well. Our empirical RLC model can thus be used as a simple tool to enable an efficient design of nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces.

Ultrafast Fiber Lasers: An Expanding Versatile Toolbox

Ultrafast fiber lasers have gained rapid advances in last decades for their intrinsic merits such as potential of all-fiber format, excellent beam quality, superior power scalability, and high single-pass gain, which opened widespread applications in high-field science, laser machining, precision metrology, optical communication, microscopy and spectroscopy, and modern ophthalmology, to name a few. Performance of an ultrafast fiber laser is well defined by the laser parameters including repetition rate, spectral bandwidth, pulse duration, pulse energy, wavelength tuning range, and average power. During past years, these parameters have been pushed to an unprecedented level. In this paper, we review these enabling technologies and explicitly show that the nonlinear interaction between ultrafast pulses and optical fibers plays the essential role. As a result of rapid development in both active and passive fibers, the toolbox of ultrafast fiber lasers will continue to expand and provide solutions to scientific and industrial problems.

Chalcogenide Taper and Its Nonlinear Effects and Sensing Applications

The nonlinear coefficient of chalcogenide glass is 200-1000 times larger than that of silica glass, and it is transparent in the 1-15 μm wavelength windows, which makes the nonlinear effects happen at much low power with a short length in near- and mid-infrared wavelength window. With tapered chalcogenide fibers, the power density in the core and the waveguide nonlinearity can be enhanced to make nonlinear signal processing unit at a compact size. The threshold of Raman scattering and supercontinuum generation is reduced due to the enhanced Kerr effect and enhanced optical power intensity. Phase-matching condition required in four-wave mixing (FWM) can be realized by tailoring fiber structures to engineer the chromatic dispersion, which enables new wavelengths creation over a large range at mW power and sub-meter length. The guided acoustic waves and longitudinal acoustic waves can be generated and detected in mW power with chalcogenide tapers. The high power density in the microwires and the high photosensitivity of chalcogenide glass in the 1550 nm band enable the inscription of FBGs in the fiber directly. The chalcogenide microwires are fragile and the core diameter cannot be tapered down to sub-microns, which can be mitigated by polymer coating that can provide mechanical strength. Polymers not only provide high mechanical strength as the coating and cladding materials but also bring over 10 times larger thermal expansion than chalcogenide cores, which enhances the sensor prospect of the chalcogenide fibers for temperature, strain, and acoustic sensing. This work reviews the present and emerging trends in investigation of chalcogenide tapers, mainly focusing on the fabrication procedure of chalcogenide microwires, the nonlinear effects, and sensing applications.

Nonlinear Optical Methods for Characterization of Molecular Structure and Surface Chemistry

The principles, strengths and limitations of several nonlinear optical (NLO) methods for characterizing biological systems are reviewed. NLO methods encompass a wide range of approaches that can be used for real-time, in-situ characterization of biological systems, typically in a label-free mode. Multiphoton excitation fluorescence (MPEF) is widely used for high-quality imaging based on electronic transitions, but lacks interface specificity. Second harmonic generation (SHG) is a parametric process that has all the virtues of the two-photon version of MPEF, yielding a signal at twice the frequency of the excitation light, which provides interface specificity. Both SHG and MPEF can provide images with high structural contrast, but they typically lack molecular or chemical specificity. Other NLO methods such as coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) can provide high-sensitivity imaging with chemical information since Raman active vibrations are probed. However, CARS and SRS lack interface and surface specificity. A NLO method that provides both interface/surface specificity as well as molecular specificity is vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy. Vibration modes that are both Raman and IR active are probed in the SFG process, providing the molecular specificity. SFG, like SHG, is a parametric process, which provides the interface and surface specificity. SFG is typically done in the reflection mode from planar samples. This has yielded rich and detailed information about the molecular structure of biomaterial interfaces and biomolecules interacting with their surfaces. However, 2-D systems have limitations for understanding the interactions of biomolecules and interfaces in the 3-D biological environment. The recent advances made in instrumentation and analysis methods for sum frequency scattering (SFS) now present the opportunity for SFS to be used to directly study biological solutions. By detecting the scattering at angles away from the phase-matched direction even centrosymmetric structures that are isotropic (e.g., spherical nanoparticles functionalized with self-assembled monolayers or biomolecules) can be probed. Often a combination of multiple NLO methods or a combination of a NLO method with other spectroscopic methods is required to obtain a full understanding of the molecular structure and surface chemistry of biomaterials and the biomolecules that interact with them. Using the right combination methods provides a powerful approach for characterizing biological materials.

Porphyrin Dyes for Nonlinear Optical Imaging of Live Cells

Second harmonic generation (SHG)-based probes are useful for nonlinear optical imaging of biological structures, such as the plasma membrane. Several amphiphilic porphyrin-based dyes with high SHG coefficients have been synthesized with different hydrophilic head groups, and their cellular targeting has been studied. The probes with cationic head groups localize better at the plasma membrane than the neutral probes with zwitterionic or non-charged ethylene glycol-based head groups. Porphyrin dyes with only dications as hydrophilic head groups localize inside HEK293T cells to give SHG, whereas tricationic dyes localize robustly at the plasma membrane of cells, including neurons, in vitro and ex vivo. The copper(II) complex of the tricationic dye with negligible fluorescence quantum yield works as an SHG-only dye. The free-base tricationic dye has been demonstrated for two-photon fluorescence and SHG-based multimodal imaging. This study demonstrates the importance of a balance between the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of amphiphilic dyes for effective plasma membrane localization.

Donor Impurity States in Semiconductor Zincblende Nitride Quantum Systems as a Source of Nonlinear Optical Response

The optical absorption and the optical rectification coefficients associated to hydrogenic impurity interstate transitions in zincblende GaN-based nanostructures of the quantum wire type are investigated. The system is assumed to have cylindrical shape and the influence of external tuning probes such as hydrostatic pressure and static electric fields is particularly taken into account. The electron states are obtained within the effective mass approximation, via the exact diagonalization of the donor-impurity Hamiltonian with parabolic confinement. The nonlinear optical coefficients are calculated using a nonperturbative solution of the density-matrix Bloch equation. Our results show that the resonance-related features of the optical response become shifted in the frequency range of the incident radiation due to the effect of the hydrostatic pressure, the strength of the applied field and the change in the impurity center position.