9530329 Osterberg We propose an experimental investigation to connect optical and electrical properties of glasses with defects on an atomic and molecular scale. We will measure the electrical transport properties of both pure and doped fused silica. We will correlate the optical properties of defects in germanium doped silica with well-known electron spin resonance data, using optical detection magnetic resonance and light-induced electron spin resonance. The purpose of this work is to establish a complete picture of photoinduced optical properties of amorphous silica glass. This work will provide underpinnings for the fabrication of periodic refractive index changes and space charge fields in glasses that affect the technological areas ferroelectric glasses, electronic insulation, optical waveguides and active electro-optic fibers. Direct applications can be made to photoinduced absorption in the 1.3-1.6 micrometer region in telecommunication fibers, fiber-optic Bragg gratings, self-organizing optical nonlinearities in glasses and in-fiber all-optical signal processing. This work is a collaborative effort between Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, the Fiber and Electro optics Research Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.. ***
