Abstract

We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally the existence of a previously overlooked contribution to the fifth-order nonlinear optical susceptibility. This contribution results from microscopic cascading of the third-order response of individual molecules and is induced by local field effects. This contribution to the fifth-order susceptibility scales as the square of the molecular number density and constitutes a potentially important means of enhancing high-order nonlinear response.

© 2009 Optical Society of America