Nonlinear-Optical Studies of Fractal Metal Clusters

这项资助致力于制造和表征嵌入在聚合物主体中的金属分形团簇的复合材料，目的是研究制造具有特别增强的非线性光学极化率的有机材料的可能性。由于金属分形团簇内的局域场有很大的增强，预计在这种团簇的存在下，染料-聚合物复合材料的非线性光学响应可以显著增大。我们建议使用一种标准的金属蒸发技术来形成具有最大局部场的团簇。由于聚合物易于加工，我们建议用最有前途的材料来制作平面和聚合物光纤光波导，以评估使用分形的可能性全光波导器件中的团簇复合材料。星团形成、非线性光学表征、在华盛顿州立大学和麦吉尔大学(Mark教授)的合作中，光纤制造是自给自足的安德鲁斯，化学系)。拟议的研究是这两个机构正在进行的工作的自然延伸。这项合作工作已经报道了分数维增强的非线性光学响应的证据。

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.