Influence of matrix-dopant interactions for all-optical memorization in doped xerogels
F.F.L. Bentivegna, Michael Canva, Alain Brun +2 more
We show that including highly polarizable dopants in the pores of a xerogel matrix leads to interesting optical properties and applications, such as an all-optical molecular memory device. By submitting the sample to ultrashort linearly polarized optical pulses, we demonstrate that the dopants tend to align along the direction of the electric field of the optical wave like in classical optical Kerr effect, and that the new alignment of the molecules is partially maintained. We study the influence of the matrix-dopant interactions on this phenomenon. For example, for rhodamine-like molecules, we establish that the alignment ability as well as the relaxation times depend strongly on the structure of the gel network and on the coupling intensity between the host matrix and the guest molecule.
Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Oct 13, 1994•0 citations