Nonlinear optical response and heating of chalcogenide glasses upon irradiation by the ultrashort laser pulses

Large third-order nonlinearity and transparency in the mid-infrared region are the basic motivations for prospective applications of chalcogenide glasses in nonlinear photonics and laser technologies. We present the state-of-the-art and our recent results of measurement and evaluation of the nonlinear optical constants, plasma dynamics, and thermal regimes upon irradiation of As-S-Se samples using 40-fs pulses at 790-nm wavelength.