Nonlinear-Optical Studies of Fractal Metal Clusters

这项赠款涉及制作和 表征复合材料 金属分形簇 嵌入在聚合物主体中， 调查的目标 有机化的可能性 材料，特别是 增强非线性光学 豁免权。 由于 局部增强 金属分形场 集群，预计， 染料的非线性光学响应， 可以制造聚合物复合材料， 在存在的情况下， 这样的集群。 我们建议使用 标准金属蒸发 形成集群的技术， 最大化本地字段。 由于 聚合物易于加工，我们 我建议把平面和聚合物- 光纤波导， 最有前途的材料来评估 使用分形 全光团簇复合材料 波导器件 的专门知识 对于集群形成，非线性- 光学特性和光纤 制造是独立的， 合作努力之间 华盛顿州立大学和 麦吉尔大学（马克教授 Andrews，Department of Chemistry）。 这些研究是自然的。 进行中工作的延期. 这两个机构。 有证据表明 非线性光学响应 据报道， 合作的努力。

This grant addresses making and characterizing composite materials of metal fractal clusters that are embedded in a polymer host with the goal of investigating the possibility of making organic materials with exceptionally enhanced nonlinear-optical susceptibilities. Owing to the large enhancement in the local fields within metallic fractal clusters, it is anticipated that the nonlinear-optical response of a dye- polymer composite can be made significantly larger in the presence of such clusters. We propose to use a standard metal evaporation technique to form clusters with maximized local fields. Owing to a polymer's ease of processing, we propose to make planar and polymer- optical fiber waveguides with the most promising materials to assess the possibility of using fractal cluster composites in all-optical waveguide devices. The expertise for cluster formation, nonlinear- optical characterization, and fiber fabrication is self-contained in a collaborative effort between Washington State University and McGill University (Professor Mark Andrews, Department of Chemistry). The proposed studies are a natural extension of work in progress at both of these institutions. Evidence of a fractal-enhanced nonlinear-optical response has already been reported by this collaborative effort.