Femtosecond Dynamics and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Polyacetylene

ABSTRACTWe discuss two important aspects of the nonlinear optical response of polyacetylene, the prototype conjugated polymer. In the subband gap region, χ(3) of polyacetylene has a rich spectral response and its magnitude is found to be the largest among semiconductors. In the superband gap region, absorption of photons leads to direct photogeneration of charged solitons on a femtosecond-time-scale. These results are discussed in the context of a one-dimensional, coupled electronlattice system, and are generalized to other conjugated polymers.