Detection of interstitial oxygen molecules in SiO₂glass by a direct photoexcitation of the infrared luminescence of singlet O₂

The presence of interstitial oxygen molecules in glassySiO₂ has been demonstrated directly by 1064.1 nm(v″ = 0)→(v′=1)excitation of the forbidden O₂molecule¹Δ_g(v′=0)→³Σ_g(v″ = 0)uminescence transition at 1272 nm in Suprasil W1 fused silica. The interstitialO₂ molecules, introduced into glass network during the synthesis process, are destroyed by vacuum ultraviolet or neutron irradiation. Mobile O atoms may play an important role in radiation processes in SiO₂. The directly photoexcited luminescence of O₂could be used to detect the presence of O₂ in other solid state matrices as well.