Abstract

Background: Studies about fascinating nonlinear optical effects are a promise to the development of high-sensitive instruments and ultrafast all-optical systems. Particularly, the optical Kerr effect exhibited by bimetallic nanoparticles can be employed to determine vibrations and the vectorial nature of mechanical actions in low-dimensional materials. With this motivation, this work has been devoted to analyze third-order nonlinear optical effects influenced by acousto-optical processes interacting with bimetallic nanoparticles.

Methods: A nanosecond two-wave mixing experiment was employed to explore the nonlinear optical response exhibited by Gold-Platinum nanoparticles embedded in a Titanium dioxide thin solid film under acoustical perturbations.

Results: Significant contributions from acoustical signals to third-order nonlinear optical effects in bimetallic Au-Pt nanoparticles were demonstrated. Vectorial two-wave mixing laser experiments were described by the participation of an optically induced birefringence and an acoustically induced effect responsible for a nonlinear refractive index. It was pointed out the possibility to identify acoustical signals and transduction of quantum mechanical information by interferometry and multi-wave mixing experiments. It was highlighted the attractive results with potential applications for designing nonlinear mechano-optical devices.

Conclusion: The incorporation of Au-Pt nanoparticles in transparent dielectric platforms seems to remarkably enhance the sensibility for measuring acousto-optical signals. It was contemplated that acousto-optical modulation assisted by third-order nonlinear optical effects may be useful for quantum information transduction processes. A low-dimensional OR logic gate system dependent on acoustical interactions and optical Kerr effect signals can be proposed. The large nonlinear optical response together to the double resonances associated to bimetallic nanoparticles makes them useful for potential applications related to ultrafast all-optical systems and digital logic gates.

Keywords: Acousto-optics, bimetallic nanoparticles, nanosystems, nonlinear optics, two-wave mixing, thin films

Graphical Abstract