Second-harmonic generation , nonlinear experimental studies

We have shown in this paper the relationships between the fundamental electrical parameters, such as the dipole moment, polarizability and hyperpolarizability, and the conformations of flexible polymers which are manifested in a number of their electrooptic and dielectric properties. These include the Kerr effect, dielectric polarization and saturation, electric field induced light scattering and second harmonic generation. Our experimental and theoretical studies of the Kerr effect show that it is very useful for the characterization of polymer microstructure. Our theoretical studies of the NLDE, EFLS and EFSHG also show that these effects are potentially useful, but there are very few experimental results reported in the literature with which to test the calculations. More experimental studies are needed to further our understanding of the nonlinear electrooptic and dielectric properties of flexible polymers. 

In the following sections we will first in Section 2 briefly discuss the necessary background to understand optical activity effects in linear and nonlinear optics and to illustrate the similarities and differences between both types. In Section 3 we present a more thorough analysis of nonlinear optical effects in second-harmonic generation, both from a theoretical and an experimental point of view. Section 4 deals with experimental examples that illustrate the usefulness of nonlinear optical activity in the study of chiral thin films and surfaces. Finally, in Section 5 we give an overview of the role of chirality in the field of second-order nonlinear optics and show that chiral molecules can be useful for applications in this field. 

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