Authors:
David Ashkenasi
Andreas Lemke
Applied Laser Technology, Laser- and Medical-Technology Berlin (LMTB) GmbH, Fabeckstr. 60-62, 14195 Berlin, Germany

It is known that ionizing radiation (x ray, gamma rays, and electrons) can induce numerous changes in the physical properties of glasses. The most obvious effect is visible coloration, which is caused by the accumulation of color centers (defects) in the irradiated volume. The application of such induced color centers has prompted a renewed interest since they can be generated and bleached reversibly. We present results on laser-induced color centers in different types of glasses using picosecond laser pulses. By applying different focusing optics the influence of changing focal length and energy flux density on the volume coloring effect has been analyzed. The changes in the optical transmission compared to the unperturbed state are significant.