Abstract

We present a new two-beam technique, the X scan, for measuring both absorptive and refractive components of optical nonlinearities in bulk semiconductors. The sample is excited by a high-intensity, short (picosecond) pump pulse and is probed with weak degenerate or nondegenerate pulses whose relative arrival time and transverse alignment with the pump are varied. X scans at various delays enable separation of free-carrier mediated nonlinearities and instantaneous ${\chi }^{(3)}$ nonlinearities. Varying the relative pump–probe polarizations yields components of the ${\chi }^{(3)}$ tensor. We report new values for degenerate (532 nm) and nondegenerate (532; 683 nm) cross-phase-modulation and two-photon-absorption coefficients for two polarization states and free-carrier absorption and refractive cross sections at 532 and 683 nm.

© 1997 Optical Society of America

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