Enhanced backscatter and unsaturated blue wavelength shifts in F-doped fused silica optical fibers exposed to extreme neutron radiation damage

Petrie, Christian M.; Sweeney, Daniel C.

doi:10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2023.122441

Enhanced backscatter and unsaturated blue wavelength shifts in F-doped fused silica optical fibers exposed to extreme neutron radiation damage

Journal Article · Wed Jun 07 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2023.122441· OSTI ID:1984352

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Amorphous fused silica (a-SiO₂) optical fibers, with and without inscribed Bragg gratings, were interrogated using infrared (~1550 nm) optical backscatter reflectometry during ~25 days of intense neutron irradiation to a fast (energy > 0.1 MeV) neutron fluence of ~10²¹ n/cm², or ~1.5 atomic displacements per atom. The reflected light amplitudes in Ge-doped core telecommunications fiber dropped below detection limits (>15 dB attenuation) within 3 days of irradiation (~10²⁰ fast n/cm²). Here, amplitudes from a pure silica core, F-doped silica cladding fiber reached equilibrium levels ~1.5–2 dB higher than pre-irradiation values, whereas Bragg gratings inscribed in the same fiber using a femtosecond laser (point-by-point method) suffered > 45 dB attenuation. Blue wavelength shifts were initially consistent with previous radiation-induced compaction models but increased linearly with increasing neutron fluence (no evidence of saturation) beyond 10²⁰ n/cm² and exceeded 0.6%, which corresponds to >1,000 °C drift if used to measure temperature changes.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1984352

Journal Information:: Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, Journal Name: Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids Vol. 615; ISSN 0022-3093

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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