EPR and optical spectra of gamma-irradiated sodium-silicate glasses containing copper oxide

Abstract The effects of an addition of CuO on the intrinsic and induced EPR and optical absorption spectra of γ-irradiated sodium-silicate glasses melted under different redox conditions are studied. It is shown that the CuO impurity blocks the formation of radiation-induced centers associated with the intrinsic defects of glass matrix. A new paramagnetic centre appears in the sodium-silicate glasses containing CuO after γ-irradiation. This center is the hole trapped at the Cu 1+ ion, and its spectral parameters are different from ones of the Cu 2+ ions obtained by chemical oxidation of copper.