Title: Radiation Hardness of Fiber Bragg Grating Thermometers,
Abstract: Photonics sensing has long been valued for its tolerance to harsh
environments where traditional sensing technologies fail. As photonic
components continue to evolve and find new applications, their tolerance to
radiation is emerging as an important line of inquiry. Here we report on our
investigation of the impact of gamma-ray exposure on the temperature response
of fiber Bragg gratings. At 25 degrees C, exposures leading to an accumulated
dose of up to 600 kGy result in complex dose-dependent drift in Bragg
wavelength, significantly increasing the uncertainty in temperature
measurements obtained if appreciable dose is delivered over the measurement
interval. We note that temperature sensitivity is not severely impacted by the
integrated dose, suggesting such devices could be used to measure relative
changes in temperature.