[en] Suprasil glass (amorphous SiO₂) has been implanted with 2.9 MeV Er ions at fluences of 3.4x10¹⁵ and 3.4x10¹⁶ ions/cm². Photoluminescence spectra of implanted samples show a clear luminescent transition around λ=1.54 μm, corresponding to an intra-4f transition of Er³⁺. Fluorescence decay times are in the range 1-8 ms, depending on implantation fluence and annealing treatment. UV absorption and IR reflection spectroscopy are employed to characterize beam-induced defects in the silica network. The results indicate that defects in the silica network play an important role in the energy transfer processes in the Er:silica system. (orig.)