Contribution of the 2^1Ag state to the third-order optical nonlinearity in a squaraine dye

Abstract

We have measured the third-harmonic response, gamma, of a centrosymmetric squaraine dye (ISQ) in chloroform at a range of frequencies for which the third harmonic is above the strong, narrow peak in the dye's linear absorption spectrum but below the UV absorption band. By fitting the experimental dispersion of gamma using a four-level model, we determine the strength, location, and width of the lowest-lying two-photon transition. We find that the 2(1)Ag state appears just above the 1(1)Bu state in energy and that the 1(1)Bu-2(1)Ag transition moment is somewhat smaller than the transition moment between the ground state and the 1(1)Bu state but much larger than previously predicted for comparable squaraine dyes.