Optical second harmonic generation by supported metal clusters: Intensity and phase measurements

Summary form only given. Whereas the linear optical properties of clusters and particles with restricted geometry have been investigated in detail for many decades, the nonlinear optical behavior, e.g., second-harmonic generation (SHG), of these systems has only recently found increasing interest. In our experiments clusters were generated by the deposition and nucleation of sodium atoms on a LiF(100) single crystal surface under UHV conditions. Since the second-order nonlinear susceptibility is a complex quantity, measurement of the phase in addition to the amplitude of the signal gave further information on the nonlinear process.