Temperature Cycling Effects on Infrared Radiation-Induced Attenuation of Silica-Based Optical Fibers

We investigated the combined effects of temperature and 40-keV mean energy fluence X-ray photons on fluorine (F)-doped, germanium (Ge)-doped, and phosphorus (P)-doped optical fibers (OFs) to doses up to 155 kGy(SiO2) and in the −50 °C–50 °C temperature range. We studied the effects of different constant temperatures or thermal cycles during the irradiation on the 1550-nm radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) levels to evaluate the various fiber performances as part of radiation-tolerant optical system or as sensitive dosimeters. Thermal cycles reveal the complex RIA responses of our OFs with temperature. The temperature strongly affects the generation and bleaching mechanisms of radiation-induced point defects and also slightly impacts the fiber light guidance properties. Our results show that typical space thermal cycles can limit the impact of the observed RIA increase at lower temperatures.