Hyper-Rayleigh scattering from gases and liquids

Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) or second harmonic light scattering has become an important method for measuring first hyperpolarizabilities /spl beta/ of organic chromophores. HRS is more flexible and simpler than electric field induced second harmonic generation, which is the principal alternative method for determining /spl beta/. The motivation for the present work is threefold: (1) to develop reference standards for HRS measurements (2) to test ab initio calculations of hyperpolarizabilities, and (3) to understand the effects of intermolecular interactions on nonlinear optical properties and measurements.