Radiation-Induced Centers in Lead Silicate Glasses Irradiated by Stationary and Pulsed Electron Beams

Radiation-induced centers formed in heavy flint glasses irradiated by electron beams are investigated by the methods of optical and EPR spectroscopy. It is revealed that stable and short-living optical absorption centers of close natures are formed under irradiation by fast electrons. A correlation is established between the stable optical absorption bands and the EPR signals interpreted as signals of the (Pb2+)/h+ hole centers. The shortliving color centers are formed due to short-term distortion of the O-Pb bonds, and the stable centers are formed due to the spatial separation, thermalization, and subsequent stabilization of excited electrons and holes in tails of the localized states. Irradiation by electron beams leads to a change in the spectral characteristics of the fundamental absorption edge and, in particular, of the Urbach energy that determines the degree of structural disorder.