Photonics, the counterpart of electronics, involves the usage of Photons instead of electrons to process information and perform various switching operations. Photonics is projected to be the technology of the future because of the gain in speed, processing and interconnectivity of network. Nonlinear optical processes will play the key role in photonics Where they can be used for frequency conversion, optical switching and modulation. Organic molecules and polymers have emerged as a new class of highly promising nonlinear optical materials Which has captured the attention of scientists world wide. The organic systems offer the advantage of large nonresonant nonlinearities derived from the 1T electrons contribution, femtosecond response time and the flexibility to modify their molecular structures. In addition, organic polymers can easily be fabricated in various device structures compatible with the fiber-optics communication system. The area of nonlinear optics of organic molecules and polymers offers exciting opportunities for both fundamental research and technologic development. It is truly an interdisciplinary area. This proceeding is the outcome of the first NATO Advanced Research WOrkshop in this highly important area. The objective of the workshop was to provide a forum for scientists of varying background from both universities and industries to come together and interface their expertize. The scope of the workshop was multidisciplinary with active participations from Chemists, physicists, engineers and materials scientists from many countries.

Molecular Dynamics in Restricted Geometries Edited by Joseph Klafter and J. M. Drake This investigation of the chemistry and physics of complex systems focuses on the role of spatial restrictions on molecular movement. A practical source-book for researchers in chemical physics, chemical engineering, and condensed matter physics, and for graduate students in these fields, it covers a broad range of topics and critically evaluates methods as they are employed. Among the many topics it covers are: relaxation and diffusion in restricted geometries, excitation energy transfer and photoinduced electron transfer phenomena in some confined systems, electron excitation transport in micelles, polymers and multilayers, and electron excitation transport on polymer chains. 1989 (0 471-60176-4) 437 pp.

The field of nonlinear optics emerged three decades ago with the development of the first operating laser and the demonstration of frequency doubling phenomena. These milestone discoveries not only generated much interest in laser science, but also set the stage for future work on nonlinear optics. This book presents an excellent overview of the exciting new advances in nonlinear optical (NLO) materials and their applications in emerging photonics technologies. It is the first reference source available to cover every NLO material published through 1995. All theoretical approaches, measurement techniques, materials, technologies, and applications are covered. With more than 1,800 bibliographic citations, 324 figures, 218 tables, and 812 equations, this book is an invaluable reference source for graduate and undergraduate students, researchers, scientists and engineers working in academia and industries in chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science, optical and polymer engineering, and computational science.

This book presents an excellent overview of the exciting new advances in nonlinear optical (NLO) materials and their applications in emerging photonics technologies. It is the first reference source available to cover every NLO material published through 1995! All theoretical approaches, measurement techniques, materials, technologies, and applications are covered. With more than 1,800 bibliographic citations, 324 figures, 218 tables, and 812 equations, this book is an invaluable reference source for graduate and undergraduate students, researchers, scientists and engineers working in academia and industries in chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science, optical and polymer engineering, and computational science.

Describing progress achieved in the field of nonlinear optics and nonlinear optical materials, the Handbook treats selected topics such as photorefractive materials, third-order nonlinear optical materials and organic nonlinear optical crystals, as well as electro-optic polymers. Applications of photorefractive materials in optical memories, optical processing, and guided-wave nonlinear optics in hotorefractive waveguides are described. As light will play a more and more dominant role as an information carrier, the review of existing and new materials given here makes this a keystone book in the field.

This treatise is a compendium of papers based on invited talks presented at the American Chemical Society Symposium on Electroactive Polymers which covered nonlinear optical polymers and conducting polymers, the common denominator being the correlated pi-electron structures. The improved understanding of the consequences of pi-electron delocalization upon nonlinear optical properties and charge carrier dynamics has laid the foundation for the rapid development and application of the electroresponse of conjugated polymers. As a result, the area of electroactive and nonlinear optical polymers is emerging as a frontier of sCience and technology. It is a multidisciplinary field that is bringing together scientists and engineers of varied background to interface their expertise. The recent explosion of interest in this area stems from the prospect of utilizing nonlinear optical effects for optical switching and logic operations in optical computing, optical signal processing, optical sensing and optical fiber communications. Polymers and organic are rapidly becoming one of the major material classes for nonlinear optical applications along with multiple quantum wells, ferroelectrics and other oxides, and direct band-gap semiconductors. The reasons for this lie in the unique molecular structures of polymers and organics and the ability to molecularly engineer the architecture of these structures through chemical synthesis.

Photonics is being labelled by many as the technology for the 21st century. Because of the structural flexibility both at the molecular and bulk levels, organic materials are emerging as a very important class of nonlinear optical materials to be used for generating necessary nonlinear optical functions for the technology of photonics. Since the last NATO advanced research workshop on "Polymers for Nonlinear Optics"held in June 1988, at Nice - Sophia Antipolis, France. there has been a tremendous growth of interest worldwide and important development in this field. Significant progress has been made in theoretical modeling, material development, experimental studies and device concepts utilizing organic materials. These important recent developments provided the rationale for organizing the workshop on "Organic Materials for Nonlinear Optics and Photonics" which was held in La Rochelle, France, in August 1990. This proceeding is the outcome of the workshop held in La Rochelle. The objective of the workshop was to bring together scientists and engineers of varied backgrounds working in this field in order to assess the current status of this field by presenting significant recent developments and make recommendations on future directions of research. The workshop was multidisciplinary as it had contributions from chemists, physicists, materials scientists and device engineers. The participants were both from industries and universities. The workshop included plenary lectures by leading international scientists in this field, contributed research papers and a poster session. Panel discussion groups were organized to summarize important developments and to project future directions.