The development of novel materials is a fundamental focal point of chemical research; and this interest is mandated by advancements in all areas of industry and technology. A good example of the synergism between scientific discovery and technological development is the electronics industry, where discoveries of new semiconducting materials resulted in the evolution from vacuum tubes to diodes and transistors, and eventually to miniature chips. The progression of this technology led to the development * To whom correspondence should be addressed. B.L.C.: (504) 2801385 (phone); (504) 280-3185 (fax); bcushing@uno.edu (e-mail). C.J.O.: (504)280-6846(phone);(504)280-3185(fax);coconnor@uno.edu (e-mail). 3893 Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 3893−3946

http://depa.fquim.unam.mx/amyd//archivero/FidelmarLechugaSanabria_4940.pdf

Recent advances in the liquid-phase syntheses of inorganic nanoparticles.

Diffraction characteristics of general dielectric planar (slab) gratings and surface-relief (corrugated) gratings are reviewed. Applications to laser-beam deflection, guidance, modulation, coupling, filtering, wavefront reconstruction, and distributed feedback in the fields of acoustooptics, integrated optics, holography, and spectral analysis are discussed. An exact formulation of the grating diffraction problem without approximations (rigorous coupled-wave theory developed by the authors) is presented. The method of solution is in terms of state variables and this is presented in detail. Then, using a series of fundamental assumptions, this rigorous theory is shown to reduce to the various existing approximate theories in the appropriate limits. The effects of these fundamental assumptions in the approximate theories are quantified and discussed.

Analysis and applications of optical diffraction by gratings

A substantial amount of work has been carried out in the area of nanocomposite materials for optical applications. Composites are typically constructed by embedding an optically functional phase into a processable, transparent matrix material. By doing so, the optical properties can be utilized in more technologically important forms such as films and fibers. This review covers many areas of optical composite research to date. Composites with second- and third-order nonlinearities and laser amplification properties are discussed with examples from the recent literature. Other composites, including transparent magnets, may be made using similar structures. The principles used to construct these composites may have important technological applications soon and are therefore summarized in this review.

Nanocomposite Materials for Optical Applications

The current state of materials development in nonlinear optics is summarized, and the promise of these materials is critically evaluated. Properties and important materials constants of current commercial materials and of new, promising, inorganic and organic molecular and polymeric materials with potential in second- and third-order nonlinear optical applications are presented.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/253/5017/281.full.pdf

Nonlinear optical materials.

We report degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) of visible radiation in borosilicate glasses doped with crystallites of the mixed semiconductor CdSxSe1−x. These semiconductor-doped glasses—available commercially in the form of colored glass filters—exhibit third-order nonlinearities of ~10−9–10−8 esu for DFWM with short (~10-nsec) laser pulses at various visible wavelengths. Our studies on the temporal decay of the transient gratings indicate that the nonlinearity is not thermal in origin but may be attributed to the generation of a short-lived electron–hole plasma. In contrast with DFWM experiments in other semiconductors invoking gratings of optically generated carriers (or other mobile particles), we report unique diffusion-independent decay of the gratings in these glasses; this is deduced from the dependence of the intensity and polarization of the DFWM signal on the polarization combinations of the input beams. Finally, we report detailed data on the aberration-correction properties of these isotropic glasses.

Degenerate four-wave mixing in semiconductor-doped glasses

Degenerate four-wave mixing in a two-level absorbing (or amplifying) system is treated, leading to a quantitative description of amplified reflection, oscillation, and phase conjugation.

Degenerate four-wave mixing in absorbing media.

Degenerate four-wave mixing in absorbing media: errata

We have demonstrated image transmission through a multimode fiber by using optical phase conjugation. By using the wave-front reversal properties of degenerate four-wave mixing, we have compensated for the degradation of the image that is due to modal dispersion in a fiber.

Demonstration of image transmission through fibers by optical phase conjugation.

We have experimentally demonstrated a cw dye laser incorporating a phase-conjugate mirror (PCM). The mirror was generated by using four-wave mixing in sodium. The unique bandwidth and pump–probe detuning properties of such a PCM permitted the first reported demonstration of the c/4L spaced paired half-axial modes. In addition, the aberration correction ability is demonstrated.

Richard C. Lind

Papers

Degenerate four-wave mixing in semiconductor-doped glasses

Degenerate four-wave mixing in absorbing media.

Degenerate four-wave mixing in absorbing media: errata

Demonstration of image transmission through fibers by optical phase conjugation.

Demonstration of the longitudinal modes and aberration-correction properties of a continuous-wave dye laser with a phase-conjugate mirror