Polarization Controlled Birefringence in Lithium Aluminosili-Cate Glass

Abstract

The rise of polarization-controlled birefringence under a series of femtosecond laser pulses in the bulk of lithium silicate and lithium aluminosilicate glasstentatively attributed to the formation of nanogratings is demonstrated. The dependences of the retardance of the light passing through the modified regions on the parameter of laser radiation and the chemical composition of the glass are determined. It is shown that an increase of Al2O3 content at the expense of alkali content in glass composition leads to an increase in the minimum number of pulses for the formation of a birefringent region, as well as an increase in the retardance.