Combined High Dose and Temperature Radiation Effects on Multimode Silica-based Optical Fibers

Abstract : We investigate the response of Ge-doped, Pdoped, pure-silica or Fluorine-doped fibers to extreme environments combining doses up to MGy(SiO2) level of 10 keV X-rays and temperatures between 25°C and 300°C. First, we evaluate their potential to serve either as parts of radiation tolerant optical or optoelectronic systems or at the opposite, for the most sensitive ones, as punctual or distributed dosimeters. Second, we improve our knowledge on combined ionizing radiations and temperature (R&T) effects on radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) by measuring the RIA spectra in the ultraviolet and visible domains varying the R&T conditions. Our results reveal the complex response of the tested fibers in such mixed environments. Increasing the temperature of irradiation increases or decreases the RIA values measured at 25°C or sometimes has no impact at all. Furthermore, R&T effects are time dependent giving an impact of the temperature on RIA that evolves with the time of irradiation. The two observed transient and stationary regimes of temperature influence will make very difficult to evaluate sensor vulnerability or the efficiency of hardening approaches without extensive test campaigns.