Supercontinuum generation in 1-decanol

Although solids have been recently used in ultrafast experiments for spectral broadening due to their relatively high nonlinearity, their sensitivity to damage limits their long-term stability. Liquids are a possible alternative to solids as a nonlinear medium because of their comparable nonlinearity and resistance to permanent damage. We generate a supercontinuum in 1-decanol that spans from approximately 450 nm to 950 nm. We measure the nonlinear index of refraction of 1-decanol and find a significant <i>n</i>₄ contribution. This contribution leads to a nonlinearity comparable to CS₂ (a frequent reference for nonlinear optics) in high-intensity regimes while being significantly less volatile and toxic. We find this supercontinuum spectrum to be stable for at least 30 minutes.