High sensitive fast gamma radiation sensor based on Yb-doped optical fiber: offline and online detection

Abstract Radiation science has a wide range of applications, from industrial uses and medical treatments to space research and national defense. Optical fiber technology offers a flexible and sensitive alternative solution for accurate radiation measurements in various applications. This study presents a new sensor design based on Yb-doped optical fibers for gamma radiation detection. The behavior of Yb-doped fibers under gamma irradiation was investigated, and a sensor was developed based on the red (or blue) shift in fluorescence emission. Three homemade and two commercial Yb-doped optical fibers were irradiated to different total doses of gamma radiation, then excited with UV light to record their spectra. A red-shift (or blue-shift in doped with Al and without P) was observed with increasing radiation dose, attributed to the formation of color centers in the fiber. These spectral shifts depend on the fiber composition and radiation dose. The highest sensitivity was observed in Fiber-3HM and Fiber-5HM which are highly radiation-sensitive, and online radiation monitoring has sensitivity as high as 7.56 nm kGy −1 and 3.65 nm kGy −1 . For the first time, we have demonstrated a radiation sensor based on the principle of fluorescence emission shift induced by the applied radiation dose, as described in the existing literature.