Tuning optical properties of densified silica glass via high pressure and ultrafast laser excitation

Tsubone, Misora*; Shimotsuma, Yasuhiko*; Kono, Yoshio*; Kakizawa, Sho*; Yamada, Hiroki*; Kobayashi, Keita; Shimizu, Masahiro*; Miura, Kiyotaka*

NPG Asia Materials, 18, p.15_1 - 15_16, 2026/04

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-026-00649-4

Silica glass exhibits diverse structural configurations accompanied with densification under varying temperature and pressure conditions; these factors significantly influence its optical properties, such as the refractive index. However, the fundamental structural mechanisms underlying the optical properties change induced by high pressure treatment and femtosecond laser direct writing remain poorly understood. Herein, we report the similarities and differences in the optical responses of densified silica glass induced by these two methods. The most significant difference is that the laser-irradiated region evolves toward a glass structure characteristic of a high fictive temperature by incorporating non-bridging oxygen defects associated with edge-sharing SiO tetrahedra, which induces distinctly different photoluminescence behaviors compared to high pressure treatment.