Theoretical study of second-order hyperpolarizability for nitrogen radical cation

Abstract

We report calculations of the static and dynamic hyperpolarizabilities of the nitrogen radical cation in doublet state. The electronic contributions were computed analytically using density functional theory and multi-configurational self-consistent field method with extended basis sets for non-resonant excitation. The open-shell electronic system of nitrogen radical cation provides negative second-order optical nonlinearity, suggesting that the hyperpolarizability coefficient, in the non-resonant regime is mainly composed of combinations of virtual one-photon transitions rather than two-photon transitions. The second-order optical properties of nitrogen radical cation have been calculated as a function of bond length starting with the neutral molecular geometry (S0 minimum) and stretching the N–N triple bond, reaching the ionic D0 relaxed geometry all the way toward dissociation limit, to investigate the effect of internuclear bond distance on second-order hyperpolarizability.