Nonlinear optical properties of binary and ternary silicate glasses upon near-infrared femtosecond pulse laser irradiation

Some nonlinear optical properties such as the nonlinear refractive index and the nonlinear effective absorption, as well as the laser-induced single-pulse ablation threshold are characterized for a series of binary and ternary silicate glasses upon irradiation with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses (800 nm, 130 fs). The laser-induced ablation threshold varies from 2.3 J/cm2 in case of potassium silicate glass up to 4.3 J/cm2 in case of Fused Silica. Nonlinear refractive indices are qualitatively similar within the range 1.7-2.7×10-16cm2/W. Complementary optical and physico-chemical properties like band gap energy and the glass transformation temperature have been measured for all the glasses.