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Nonlinear optical response of a gold surface in the visible range: A study by two-color sum-frequency generation
L Dalstein1, A Revel1, C Humbert1
1Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Bâtiment 201 P2, 91405 Orsay, France.
Abstract:
We experimentally determine the effective nonlinear second-order susceptibility of gold over the visible spectral range. To reach that goal, we probe by vibrational two-color sum-frequency generation spectroscopy the methyl stretching region of a dodecanethiol self-assembled monolayer adsorbed on a gold film. The sum-frequency generation spectra show a remarkable shape reversal when the visible probe wavelength is tuned from 435 to 705 nm. After correcting from Fresnel effects, the methyl stretching vibrations serve as an internal reference, allowing to extract the dispersion of the absolute phase and relative amplitude of the effective nonlinear optical response of gold in the visible range.
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