3-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY EFFECT IN FLUORESCENT PHOTOSENSITIVE GLASS ACTIVATED BY EUROPIUM AND CERIUM

The persistent extinction of fluorescence emission of Eu3+ in glasses activated with europium and cerium is reported for the first time to t he authors' knowledge. The glass samples containing EU3+ and Ce3+ were initially colorless and transparent and exhibited intense emission pe aks at 592 ana 612 nm assigned to the (5)D0-F-7(1,2) transitions of EU 3+. Th, complete extinction of the Eu3+-ion emission was obtained as a n effect of multipulse excimer-UV-laser (lambda = 248 nm, tau(FWHM) gr eater than or equal to 20 ns) irradiation of the glass samples. Fluore scence microscopy, Mossbauer spectrometry, and electron spin resonance were applied for investigation of the modifications induced by the la ser treatment. As a decisive proof of the extinction of fluorescence m e succeeded in recording three-dimensional fluorescent photographic pa tterns within the activated samples. (C) 1998 Optical Society of Ameri ca.