Radiation response of fiber optic waveguides in the 0.4 to 1.7 μ region

The response of fiber optic waveguides to ionizing radiation has been studied. Measurements of the growth and decay of the radiation-induced loss at 0.82μ have revealed that fibers with low OH are more susceptible to damage than those with high OH. The addition of P to Ge-doped silica core fibers has been found to suppress an intense transient absorption. Spectral measurements of the radiation-induced absorption between 0.4 - 1.7μ have shown an increase in the OH overtone and combination band intensity with irradiation so that the induced loss at 1.3μ is actually less in the low OH content silica core fibers than in the high OH content fibers. Real time spectral measurements of the damage following a pulsed irradiation have lead to an identification of the absorption bands and damage mechanisms responsible for the radiation-induced absorption.