A fiber optic system has been developed to measure single transient gamma rays. The gamma ray signature is converted to light by the Cerenkov process in a 20 cm length of radiation resistant optical fiber. The signal is transmitted over 1 km of optical fiber and detected by state-of-the-art, 175 MHz analog receivers. The receivers are based on silicon PIN detectors with transimpedance hybrid amplifiers and two stages of power amplification. The dc coupled receivers have less than 2% distortion up to 5 volts with less than 10 mV rms noise and a responsivity of 37,500 V/watt at 800 nm. A calibration system measures relative fiber to fiber transit time delays and "system" sensitivity. System bandwidth measurements utilized an electron linear accelerator (Linac) with a 50 ps electron pulse as the Cerenkov light source. The system will be described with supporting calibration and characterization data of parts of the system and the whole system.

Date Published: 26 December 1984
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 0500, Fiber Optics: Short-Haul and Long-Haul Measurements and Applications II, (26 December 1984); doi: 10.1117/12.944595

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0500:
Fiber Optics: Short-Haul and Long-Haul Measurements and Applications II
Robert L. Galawa, Editor(s)