Laser ablation of magnesium in water and investigation of optical nonlinearity by the Z-scan technique

Abstract

Magnesium hydroxide structures were formed by a pulsed copper vapor laser ablation of a magnesium target in water. These structures were characterized by x-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and the Z-scan technique. The measurements of nonlinear optical properties of Mg(OH)2 structures have been performed using a nanosecond Nd:YAG pulse laser at 532 nm by the Z-scan technique. The nonlinear refractive index (n2) and absorption coefficient (β) of Mg(OH)2 structures were obtained from closed and open aperture Z-scans of the order of 10−13 cm2/W and 10−7 cm/W, respectively. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility, χ(3), of Mg(OH)2 structures was measured of the order of 10−11 esu. The results suggest that Mg(OH)2 structures, in comparison with other materials that are candidates for the nonlinear optical devices, are cheaper and may be promising candidates for nonlinear optical applications.