Optical fibers find rapidly growing use also in the nuclear industry. The dependence of their radiation-induced loss on fiber type, wavelength, temperature, light power, dose rate, and radiation type (gamma rays, neutrons) is pointed out and test results of modern (1989 - 1993) single mode (SM), graded index (GI), multimode stepindex (MM SI), and polymer optical fibers (POF) are presented. Continuous 60Co gamma irradiation of the SM fibers with a dose rate of about 1.5 Gy/s up to a final dose of 106 Gy led to radiation-induced losses of only 0.85 to 1.3 dB/10 m at 1300 nm wavelength and temperatures around 30 degree(s)C, whereas the GI fibers had losses of 1.3 to 2 dB/10 m under the same conditions. The lowest radiation-induced loss show MM SI fibers with pure SiO2 core of high OH-content: about 0.15 dB/10 m around 850 nm and about 0.1 dB/10 m around 1060 nm (106 Gy, equals 30 degree(s)C). POF with a core made of polymethyl methacrylate also have loss increases of <EQ 0.1 dB/10 m (670 nm, room temperature), but only up to gamma dose values <EQ 800 Gy. The breaking stress of allglass fibers after 106 Gy increased by about 2% (MM SI) up to about 10% (SM). 14 MeV neutron irradiations seem to cause higher losses and reduced breaking stress, compared with 60 Co gamma irradiations up to the same total dose.
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