Color centers in oxide glasses

There exists a substantial literature dealing with the general subject of radiation effects in oxide glasses. These notes are drawn from a somewhat specialized review article by the author entitled ESR Studies of Radiation Damage and Structure in Oxide Glasses Not Containing Transition Group Ions: A contemporary Overview with Illustrations from the Alkali Borate System. The ESR studies are emphasized here because electron spin resonance has proved to be the most powerful single technique for identifying the generic types of defects induced by radiation. Transition group ions have been excluded in order to concentrate fully on those defects which are intrinsic to the undoped base glass. (It is remarked, however, that the radiation coloration of oxide glasses is far less sensitive to doping with small concentrations of impurities than is the case for alkali halides). Finally, it is seen that specialization to the alkali borate glasses entails no loss of generality, since analogous defects are (or in principle could be) observed in virtually all other oxide glass systems. (Auth.)