Intrinsic hyperpolarizabilities as a figure of merit for electro-optic molecules

We propose the scale-invariant intrinsic hyperpolarizability as a measure of the figure of merit for electro-optic molecules. By applying our analysis to the best second-order nonlinear-optical molecules that are made using the present paradigms, we conclude that it should be possible to make dye-doped polymers with electrooptic coefficients of several thousand picometers per volt.