Determining selected quadratic coefficients in noncentrosymmetric crystals.

We present a systematic theoretical examination concerning the practical possibility of measuring components of the quadratic symmetry tensors for solid materials lacking inversion symmetry. We show that information concerning the quadratic effects in noncentrosymmetrical crystals can be obtained directly by methods that allow for the bypassing of the coexisting dominant linear effects. Here, we deal only with the particular case of the electro-optic effect; however, the results and conclusions are also valid for the elasto-optic effects.