Photobleaching effect in bismuth-doped germanosilicate fibers

Photoinduced reduction of absorption (photobleaching) in bismuth-doped germanosilicate fibers irradiated with 532-nm laser has been observed for the first time. It was demonstrated that bismuth-related active centers having the absorption bands at wavelengths of 1400 and 1700 nm degrade under photoexcitation at 532 nm. The photobleaching process rate was estimated using conventional stretched exponential technique. It was found that the photobleaching rate in bismuth-doped germanosilicate fibers does not depend on type of bismuth-related active center. The possible underlying mechanism of photobleaching process in bismuth-doped fibers is discussed. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America