Two photon absorbing chromophores for broadband optical limiting

Summary form only given. Optical limiters are devices that strongly attenuate intense optical beam while exhibiting high transmittance for low intensity ambient light levels. General requirements for a material to be a good optical limiter are high pulse energy suppression, broad bandwidth, wide temporal response, operation in fast optics, and high ambient transmission. Molecules with large two-photon absorption cross sections that form strongly absorbing excited states have potential for good optical limiting response. We discuss our recent results on obtaining relatively broadband optical limiting response through the use of such two-photon absorbing chromophores.