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We report photoluminescence in bulk chloride photo-thermo-refractive glass under irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses. The fluorescence originates from the bleaching of silver nanoparticles precipitating in the glass. Similarly to the conventional process of the femtosecond re-shaping of metal inclusions with diameter tens of nanometers, irradiation of the smaller nanoparticles results in a fast shrinking size with an ellipsoidal shape via photofragmentation. Under UV excitation, remaining sub-nanometer silver molecular clusters show visible and near IR fluorescence, which increases with chlorine concentration. The observed bleaching of silver nanoparticles in bulk glass-metal nanocomposite can find applications in data storage and bleaching of volume Bragg gratings.

It is shown that the action of a nanosecond pulse of laser radiation with wavelengths of 0.53 and 1.06 μm on glass with a waveguide layer that contains silver ions causes silver nanoparticles to be formed on the surface of the glass. The nanoparticles are fixed on the surface by the dielectric components of the glass. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of silver nanoparticles when the laser acts.

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