Magneto-optical rotation of heavy-metal oxide glasses

Magneto-optical rotation was measured at room temperature for glasses containing Bi2O3-CdO-GeO2 (BCG); and Bi2O3-PbO-GeO2-B2O3 (BPGP), A pulsed magnetic field between 50 and 80 KG was used to measure Faraday rotation at 632.8 nm as a function of the concentration of Bi and Cd for BCG and Bi and Pb for BPGB. Verdet constant as high as 0.162 min G(-1) cm(-1) at 632.8 nm for the BPGB sample with the highest concentrations of Bi and Cd was found. Verdet constant Increases linearly with the heavy-metal concentration for the BPGB whereas it reaches some saturation for the BCG system. Measurements of the magneto-optical rotation at other wavelengths in the visible and the refractive index at 632,8 nm are also reported. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.