Optical fiber components for rays and radiations environments

Optical fibers allow transmission equipment to be moved from radiating or ionising environments, reducing the risk to operators. There are special optical fibers that are resistant to radiation and others that are resistant to solarisation. An optical fiber is intrinsically insensitive to electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and, properly protected against radiation, it can easily be used in nuclear power stations or medical facilities such as MRIs and scanners.

When exposed to radiation, the optical fiber can be degraded resulting in increased optical attenuation (decrease in optical signal intensity along the fiber), reduced optical power at the fiber output, or effects on bandwidth (change in the optical characteristics of the fiber resulting in changes in the spectral properties of optical signals). Radiation also affect on the optical fiber assembly, notably degrading components (connectors, insulators, modulators…) or damaging the coating. At low wavelengths (below 250 nm), UV radiation degrades signal transmission in standard silica fibers, leading to solarisation (increased light absorption in the UV range, which can invalidate measurements).