Nonlinear optical properties of single crystal cadmium magnesium telluride

The third-order nonlinear susceptibility of crystalline Cadmium Magnesium Telluride (CdMgTe) was studies using a spatially resolved Irradiance Scan method including picosecond and nanosecond laser pulse widths at 1064nm. The samples were placed in a loosely focused beam, and a series of individual laser pulses at different energies were collected. The transmitted beam was reimaged to a CCD with a microscope objective providing a detailed objective function for numerical simulations. The nonlinear transmission results were modeled by way of a split-step nonlinear beam propagation method including diffraction, nonlinear absorption, and refraction arising from bound electrons and light-generated free carriers. The angular dependence of the third order susceptibility with respect to the electric field is also represented along with laser-induced damage thresholds.