Numerical study of surface plasmon enhanced nonlinear absorption and refraction

Abstract

Maxwell Garnett effective medium theory is used to study the influence of silver nanoparticle induced field enhancement on the nonlinear response of a Kerr-type nonlinear host. We show that the composite nonlinear absorption coefficient, βc, can be enhanced relative to the host nonlinear absorption coefficient near the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. This enhancement is not due to a resonant enhancement of the host nonlinear absorption, but rather due to a phaseshifted enhancement of the host nonlinear refractive response. The enhancement occurs at the expense of introducing linear absorption, αc, which leads to an overall reduced figure of merit βc/αc for nonlinear absorption. For thin (< 1 μm) composites, the use of surface plasmons is found to result in an increased nonlinear absorption response compared to that of the host material. ©2008 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (260.2065) Effective medium theory; (160.1245) Artificially engineered materials; (160.4330) Nonlinear optical materials; (160.4236) Nanomaterials References and links 1. L. Francois, M. Mostafavi, J. Belloni, and J. A. Delaire, Optical limitation induced by gold clusters: Mechanism and efficiency, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 3, 4965-4971 (2001). 2. L. Francois, M. Mostafavi, J. Belloni, J. F. Delouis, J. Delaire, and P. Feneyrou, Optical limitation induced by gold clusters. 1. Size effect, J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 6133-6137 (2000). 3. F. E. Hernandez, W. Shensky, I. Cohanoschi, D. J. Hagan, and E. W. Van Stryland, India ink/carbon disulfide creates laser safety device, Laser Focus World 37, 125 (2001). 4. F. E. Hernandez, W. Shensky, I. Cohanoschi, D. J. Hagan, and E. W. 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