Comparative Study of Optical Properties of Polarizing Oxide Glasses with Silver Nanorods and Chalcogenide Glasses with Copper Nanoparticles

The femtosecond Z-scan measurements with open-aperture of nonlinear absorption of the R2O-B2O3-SiO2 (R = Li, Na, K) polarizing oxide glass containing Ag nanorods at polarizing angle Θ = 0 and 90 degrees are performed and compared with the earlier Z-scan data obtained for the chalcogenide glasses with Cu nanoparticles (Cu:As2S3 and Cu:Ge15.8As21S63.2). The results of the present study reveal that (i) when the polarization of the laser is parallel to the long axis of the Ag nanorods (Θ=0 degrees), the saturated nonlinear absorption takes place; and (ii) when the polarization of light is perpendicular to the long axis of the Ag nanorods (Θ=90 degrees), the saturated nonlinear absorption and two-photon nonlinear absorption are observed likely to Cu:chalcogenide glasses. Ellipsometric measurements show also a dependence of the properties of the investigated polarizing glass on the sample orientation in consistence with Ag nanorod locations.