Abstract

The classical dipolar approach in molecular engineering for quadratic nonlinear optics (NLO), although remaining a fruitful concept for material conception and elaboration, is confined to quasi onedimensional (1-D) charge transfer (CT) molecules, their hyperpolarizability tensor being reduced to its vectorial part. In order to further exploit the rich possibilities of bi- and tridimensional stereochemistry, the concept of octupolar structures, recently proposed on the basis of group theoretical and quantum mechanical arguments, opens new perspectives in molecular and material engineering.¹

© 1994 IEEE