Enhanced optical limiting performance of a nonlinear absorber in a solution containing scattering nanoparticles

The optical limiting performance of a water-soluble porphyrin derivative is shown to be improved when small-sized (400-nm-diameter) nonabsorbing polystyrene spheres are added to the solution. The optical limiting enhancement is attributed to absorption of diffusive photons that experience longer light pathways than ballistic photons. The effect is demonstrated for nanosecond laser excitation at 532 nm.