Optical Birefringence in Tellurite Glass Containing Silver Nanoparticles Precipitated through Thermal Process

We report induced optical birefringence in tellurite glasses containing silver nanoparticles prepared by the conventional melt-quenching method and subsequent heat-treatment above the glass-transition temperature. It should be emphasized that the birefringence is observed even though optical anisotropy is never intentionally induced during the fabrication process. When the wavelength of the incident linearly polarized light is close to the resonance frequency of localized surface plasmons of silver nanoparticles, the polarization plane of the light transmitted through the sample is rotated. The variation in the rotation angle with the azimuth on the glass surface indicates that the rotation stems from the birefringence. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics DOI: 10.1143/APEX.2.102001