Degenerate two-photon absorption (TPA) spectra in binary xBi(2)O(3):(100 -
x)B2O3 (x = 60, 70 and 80 mol%) glasses are measured by an open-aperture Z-
scan technique. The degenerate TPA coefficient, beta, obtained at a fixed p
hoton energy increases with Bi2O3 content (e.g., 12.8 +/- 2.1 and 17.7 +/-
3.0 cm/GW at 2.34 eV for x = 60 and x = 80, respectively), while beta becom
es larger at higher photon energy (e.g., 3.2 +/- 0.5 cm/GW at 1.81 eV and 1
5.1 +/- 2.5 cm/GW at 2.51 eV for x = 70). The degenerate TPA spectra are re
produced by using a simple formula based on a two-parabolic band model for
the electronic structure of the glasses containing heavy metal oxides. (C)
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