Probing the symmetry of the nonlinear optic chromophore Ru(trans-4,4'-diethylaminostyryl-2,2'-bipyridine)(sub 3)(super 2+): insight from polarized hyper-Rayleigh scattering and electroabsorption (Stark) spectroscopy

A putative octupolar super chromophore Ru(trans-4,4'-diethylaminostyryl-2,2'-bipyridine)(sub 3)(super 2+) has been analyzed using the polarized hyper-Rayleigh scattering technique. It was found that the symmetry of the excited state, and therefore the hyperpolarizability tensor, is dipolar in nature, as shown by electroabsorption or electronic Stark effect experiments. These results indicate that changes in dipole moment correlate with optical excitation.