A selection of commercially available high-power optical fibres have been characterised for radiation susceptibility in Sandia’s Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR). The fibres were subjected to a total gamma and neutron dose >2 Mrad(Si) in a 7 ms pulse. The neutron fluence was >10¹⁵ n/cm². Changes in the transmission characteristics of optical fibres carrying high energy, short duration laser pulses (power densities of around 1.5 GW/cm²) were measured. All fibres survived at least two consecutive radiation exposures, showing typical transient transmission losses of around 20%. Post radiation exposure, the transmission characteristics returned to those of pristine fibres within one minute.

Date Published: 4 December 2012
PDF: 17 pages
Proc. SPIE 8530, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2012, 853018 (4 December 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.977489

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8530:
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2012
Gregory J. Exarhos; Vitaly E. Gruzdev; Joseph A. Menapace; Detlev Ristau; M J Soileau, Editor(s)