Darkening of silicate glass on exposure to radiation emitted by an erosion laser plasma

An investigation was made of the influence of ultraviolet radiation emitted from a plasma jet formed as a result of interaction of laser radiation with silicate glass. The action of the jet radiation (concentrated in a narrow spectral range of 200–220 nm) produced stable and unstable color centers during a laser pulse. This resulted in additional absorption over a wide spectral range. The presence of these color centers in the glass lowered its optical strength.