Prof. Van Stryland will discuss experimental methods for characterizing the nonlinear absorptive and nonlinear refractive properties of materials from semiconductors to organics, e.g. transmission, Z-scan, femtosecond pump - white light continuum probe. This latter method allows the relatively rapid determination of the nondegenerate nonlinear absorption spectra from which nonlinear refraction may be determined via nonlinear Kramers-Kronig relations. These relations will also be discussed. He will end with a brief discussion of optical limiting.

Eric W. Van Stryland is Professor of Optics, Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering in School of Optics/CREOL, University of Central Florida. Eric Van Stryland received the Physics PhD degree in 1976, from the University of Arizona, Optical Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ, where he worked on optical coherent transients and photon counting statistics. He worked in the areas of femtosecond pulse production, multiphoton absorption in solids, and laser induced damage at the Center for Laser Studies at the University of Southern California. He joined the physics department at the University of North Texas in 1978 helping to form the Center for Applied Quantum Electronics. In l987 he joined the newly formed CREOL (Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers) at the University of Central Florida where he was Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering.

His current research interests are in the characterization of the nonlinear optical properties of materials and their temporal response as well as the applications of these nonlinear materials properties for sensor protection, switching, beam control etc. He helped develop the Z-scan technique with Mansoor Sheik-Bahae with whom he also established the methodology to apply Kramers-Kronig relations to ultrafast nonlinearities. He is a fellow of the Optical Society of America, a former member of their Board of Directors and co-chair of the Science and Engineering Council, a senior member of the Laser Institute of America and a former board member, a senior member of IEEE LEOS and a member of the SPIE, and MRS. He also served as a topical editor for Optics Letters. He has been Director of the School of Optics/CREOL since July 1999.