title: 1064 nm laser-induced defects in pure SiO₂ fibers.
abstract: We investigate evidence of the formation of nonbridging oxygen hole centers in pure silica photonic crystal fibers from 5 ps 1064 nm pulses. The formation of the defects is attributed to the breaking of stressed silicon-oxygen bonds in the glass matrix through a many-photon process. We compare the photodarkening induced by the 1064 nm pump with photodarkening induced by short wavelength light in a 1064 nm pumped supercontinuum extending to 400 nm. It is shown that the higher peak power at the pump wavelength makes it a more significant cause of photodarkening when compared to the shorter wavelength light generated in the fiber.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Photonics and Photonic Materials, Department of Physics, University of Bath, Bath, UK. j.m.stone@bath.ac.uk
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wadsworth
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Knight