Abstract

Hyper-Rayleigh Scatttering (HRS) measurements have become an important method for measuring the first hyperpolarizabilities β of organic chromophores [1]. This technique is more flexible and much simpler than the alternative Electric-Field-Induced Second Harmonic Generation (EFISH) method for determining β. However, unresolved difficulties with the absolute calibration of solution EFISH measurements [2] have not been avoided, but only compounded, because the uncertain EFISH values are used to calibrate HRS, and because different combinations of tensor components are measured in the two experiments. Furthermore, HRS signals from liquid phase samples can include large intermolecular contributions [3], which have usually been ignored.

© 1996 Optical Society of America