Crystal growth and nonlinear optical properties of sodium d-isoascorbate monohydrate

• Published in: CrystEngComm Vol. 15; no. 33; pp. 6594 - 661
• Main Authors: Rao, K. Raghavendra, Bhat, H. L, Elizabeth, Suja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2013
• Subjects: Cooling; Crystallography; Crystals; Morphology; Nonlinearity; Shot; Sodium; Tensors
• ISSN: 1466-8033; 1466-8033
• DOI: 10.1039/c3ce40751a

Optical quality single crystals of sodium d -isoascorbate monohydrate were grown by a slow cooling technique. The crystal possesses a bulky prismatic morphology. Thermal analyses indicate that the crystals are stable up to 125 °C. The optical transmission window ranges from 307 nm to 1450 nm. The principal refractive indices have been measured employing Brewster's angle method. The crystallographic and the principal dielectric axes coincide with each other such that a lies along Z , b along X and c along Y . The optic axis is oriented 58° (at 532 nm) to the crystallographic a axis in the XZ plane and the crystal is negative biaxial. Type 1 and type 2 phase matching curves are generated and experimentally verified. No polarization dependence of the light absorption was observed confirming the validity of Kleinman's symmetry conjecture, leading to a single nonvanishing nonlinear tensor component. According to Hobden's classification the crystal belongs to class 3. The crystal also exhibits second order noncollinear conic sections. The single shot and multiple shot surface laser damage thresholds are determined to be 32.7 GW cm −2 and 6.5 GW cm −2 respectively for 1064 nm radiation. Nonlinear optical sodium d -isoascorbic monohydrate crystals have a bulky morphology, exhibit collinear and noncollinear phase matching and possess high laser damage thresholds.