Generation of a bleaching wave in an ST-50-1 glass ceramics induced by a Nd:YAG laser

It is shown that upon exposing glass ceramics to laser radiation for which the initial polycrystalline phase is opaque, whereas the corresponding glass phase is transparent, the transparency oscillations can be produced due to the laser-induced phase transitions from the crystalline to amorphous state and vice versa, resulting in the propagation of a bleaching and darkening wave.