ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, several experimental techniques for measuring the nonlinear optical parameters of various types of materials were illustrated. It was mentioned that most of those parameters are absorptive in nature and that the theoretical basis for these parameters and their interrelationships were detailed in Chapter 9. As the measurements of these parameters arise from intensity variations of an incident laser beam, accurate absorptive experimental measurement require high peak intensities. With the advent of new, commercially available ultrafast laser systems (pulse widths < 250 fs, pulse energies ~ 1 mJ), this type of nonlinear measurement has become more prevalent. However, the appeal of using a versatile ultrafast laser for many types of nonlinear measurements comes at the expense of the difficulity with which they are conducted.
