Interferometric Determination of Nonlinear Refraction of Gaseous Xenon at λ = 308 nm

摘要

The nonlinear contribution to the refractive index of high-pressure xenon at room temperature at the wavelength of XeCl-laser radiation is measured with the help of the Twyman interferometer. Using the dependence of the shift of an interference pattern on the light intensity, the sign and the magnitude of the nonlinear contribution are measured, which gave Δn/ = -6 * 10~(-12) electrostatic CGS units. This value is shown to be determined by the balance of electrostrictional and electrocaloric mechanisms. It exceeds the electronic contribution to nonlinear refraction by two orders of magnitude. A possible influence of collisionally induced multiphoton absorption processes on self-action effects in a high-density gas is discussed.