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What is Fiber-Based Dosimetry?
Fiber-based dosimetry is a technique that uses radiation-sensitive optical fibers to measure the dose of ionizing radiation received over time. By monitoring radiation-induced changes in the fiber's optical properties, the system can determine the accumulated dose and, in some configurations, map radiation levels along the fiber.
Unlike conventional point detectors, fiber-based dosimetry can provide distributed radiation measurements over long distances using a single fiber, making it particularly suited to large or difficult-to-access environments. Exail has demonstrated this approach for applications including nuclear facilities, high-energy physics, medical environments, and space.
HOW Fiber-Based Dosimetry Works
The principle can be understood through three main steps:
Radiation interaction
Ionizing radiation interacts with a specially designed, radiation-sensitive optical fiber, creating defects in the glass structure.
Optical response
These defects increase the fiber's optical losses, a phenomenon known as Radiation-Induced Attenuation (RIA). The change in transmitted or reflected optical power can be measured and correlated with the radiation dose received.
Dose measurement
An optical interrogation system analyzes the fiber's response to determine the accumulated radiation dose. With distributed configurations, radiation levels can be measured at multiple points along a single fiber.
