Abstract
The longitudinal distribution of fluorescence from low-OH silica fiber was experimentally observed under KrF excimer laser delivery. The fluorescent region was localized near the input end of the fiber at initial stage of laser delivery and shifted to the output end with increasing the number of laser pulses. As the fluorescent region reached the output end of the fiber, transmitted laser light was remarkably enhanced. This enhancement would be induced by the KrF-laser-bleaching of the defects in the fluorescent region. The photo-bleaching effect could be expected to be one of the remedies for the reduction in delivery efficiency of the silica fiber reported before.
