Nonlinear optics is the branch of
optics that describes the behaviour of
light in
nonlinear media, that is, media in which the
polarization P responds nonlinearly to the
electric field E of the light.
Nonlinear optics gives rise to a host of optical phenomena:
- Second harmonic generation (SHG)
- Third harmonic generation (THG)
- Parametric frequency mixing and amplification
- Phase conjugation
- Pockels effect
- Acousto-optics
- Optical Kerr effect (intensity dependent refractive index)
- Self focusing
- Self phase modulation (SPM)
- Brillouin scattering
- Raman scattering
(work in progress) - DrBob