Solid State Surfaces and Plants Observed by Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Microscopies

Abstract

  We have developed optical second harmonic (SH) and sum frequency (SF) microscopies as probes of non-centrosymmetric structures in solid state materials. In this paper, recent several studies performed by the SH and SF microscopies are presented. The oxidation of carbon monoxide on the Pt surface, a multi-stack film of two metal species, the electric field near a silver grating, the spatial distribution of electronic states of an arsenic ion implanted Si(111), the hydrogen desorption by laser pulses from a hydrogen terminated Si surface have been investigated by the SH microscopy. Nondestructive chemical analysis of starch granules in a water plant have been performed by the SH and SF microscopies. The distribution of asymmetric species is demonstrated to be mapped by the SH and SF microscopies.