Origin of the Nonlinear Refractive Index of Liquid CCl4

R. W. Hellwarth, Adelbert Owyoung, and Nicholas George
Phys. Rev. A 4, 2342 – Published 1 December 1971
PDFExport Citation

Abstract

We report here the first determination for a simple liquid (specifically liquid CCl4) of the fraction of its Kerr effect that arises from the (nearly instantaneous) nonlinear response of its electronic currents, and hence would exist even if the nuclei were frozen in position. To do this, we have remeasured the power dependence of the rotation of the polarization ellipse of a monochromatic beam in CCl4 with greatly improved accuracy (± 10% absolute) using a single-Gaussian-mode ruby (giant pulse) laser. We then compare the results of this ellipse rotation measurement with existing Kerr data, and, using a general relation between the relative electronic contributions to both effects which we demonstrate, we show that (54 ± 16)% of the Kerr effect in CCl4 arises from nonlinear electronic response. The method should be useful for any isotropic material.

  • Received 26 July 1971

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.4.2342

©1971 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. W. Hellwarth*, Adelbert Owyoung, and Nicholas George

  • California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109

  • *Present address: Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, England. Permanent address: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif. 90007.
  • Permanent address: Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque, N. M. 87115.

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 4, Iss. 6 — December 1971

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review A

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×