Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Transient photo-induced optical absorption in amorphous and liquid As2Se3 was investigated using a nanosecond pulsed laser and a specially designed optical cell. The measurements have been performed in the second and minute domain and the nanosecond and microsecond domain. From the measurements in the second and minute domain using repeated illumination, we observed the accumulation of photo-induced absorption and the decay after stopping the illumination. The durable photodarkening was also observed after the decay. The accumulated photoinduced change becomes smaller with increasing temperature and approaches to be zero around the glass transition temperature. From the measurements in the nanosecond and microsecond domain, the transient photodarkening in the time domain responded for each pulsed laser was observed. This fast photodarkening was observed even in the liquid state. This is contrast to the cases of the durable photodarkening and the transient photodarkening in the second and minute domain. The origin of the observed photoinduced changes is discussed.