| Details: |
Current research investigations in the field of nonlinear optics are primarily
influenced by certain nonlinear optical (NLO) phenomena that are related with the frequency
and colour of the electromagnetic radiation in suitable substances. NLO processes are very
useful in photonic devices where photons are used to transmit and process information. In
general, study of NLO deals with the modification in optical properties of a material by
strong oscillating electric field of a laser beam. These processes have been observed in wide
variety of materials starting from molecules, clusters to bulk materials. In molecular systems
the optical nonlinearity depends on the geometrical arrangement of molecules whereas for
bulk systems, the electronic characteristics of the system determine the optical nonlinearity.
Recent years have witnessed substantial research interest in these NLO materials due to their
application in high-speed electro-optic devices for information processing and
telecommunications. They also find tremendous applications in lasers, optical-switching and
optoelectronics.
The presentation will focus on our journey from metal and semiconducting clusters to
DNA base pairs and photochromic pairs. How simple tuning in these species can lead to
potential NLO materials, the factors responsible for influencing the optical properties in those
systems. The presentation will also focus on some of the projects that are being pursued
currently. |