Compositional trends of γ-induced optical changes observed in chalcogenide glasses of binary AsS system

Compositional trends of γ-induced optical changes in chalcogenide glasses are studied with the binary AsS system. Effects of γ-irradiation and annealing are compared using the changes measured in the fundamental optical absorption edge region. It is shown that annealing near the glass transition temperature leads to bleaching of AsS glasses, while γ-irradiation leads to darkening; both depend on the glass composition and thermal history of the specimens. These results are explained in terms of competitive destruction–polymerization transformations and physical aging occurring in AsS chalcogenide glasses under the influence of γ-irradiation.