Term: non-linear optical effect https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.N04197 Definition: An effect brought about by electromagnetic radiation the magnitude of which is not proportional to the irradiance. Non-linear optical effects of importance to photochemistry are harmonic frequency generation, lasers, Raman shifting, upconversion, and others. Related Terms: 1) photochemistry (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04588). 2) harmonic frequency generation (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.H02744). 3) upconversion (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.U06574). Source: PAC, 1996, 68, 2223. 'Glossary of terms used in photochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2256 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122223) Citation: 'non-linear optical effect' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.N04197 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.