Ferroelectric Fluids for Nonlinear Photonics: Evaluation of Temperature Dependence of Second-Order Susceptibilities
Matija Lovšin, Luka Cmok, Calum J. Gibb, Jordan Hobbs, Richard J. Mandle, Alenka Mertelj, Irena Drevenšek-Olenik, Nerea Sebastian
Published: 2025/9/15
Abstract
Ferroelectric nematic fluids are promising materials for tunable nonlinear photonics, with applications ranging from second harmonic generation to sources of entangled photons. However, the few reported values of second-order susceptibilities vary widely depending on the molecular architecture. Here, we systematically measure second-order NLO susceptibilities of five different materials that exhibit the ferroelectric nematic phase, as well as the more recently discovered layered smectic A ferroelectric phase. The materials investigated include archetypal molecular architectures as well as mixtures showing room-temperature ferroelectric phases. The measured values, which range from 0.3 to 20 pm/V, are here reasonably predicted by combining calculations of molecular-level hyperpolarizabilities and a simple nematic potential, highlighting the opportunities of modelling-assisted design for enhanced NLO ferroelectric fluids.