Liquid Core Optial Scintillating Fibers

183 Liquid Core Optical Scintillating Fibers--Nano Systems, Inc., 83 Prokop Road, Oxford, CT 06478-1108; (203) 881-2827 Dr. Charles P. Beetz, Principal Investigator Mr. Robert W. Boerstler, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82437 Amount: $74,973 This project focuses on the development of liquid core optical fibers for uses in high energy physics experiments such as high energy calorimetry, particle tracking, preradiators, active targets or other fast detectors. A wide variety of experimental problems could benefit from scintillating, waveshifting or Cerenkov core flexible optical fibers which have adjustable properties, high light outputs, low cost per unit mass, wide range of diameters, and radiation hardness. Present plastic scintillating fibers are susceptible to radiation damage, are costly, and are available in limited diameters. This project will construct liquid core scintillating optical fibers from a variety of cladding capillaries and tubes and a variety of liquid scintillators in order to create radiation hard, radiation sensitive optical fibers with a widely tunable set of features that have the potential for low manufacturing cost in volume manufacturing. In Phase I, the polymeric claddings that exhibit superior radiation resistance will be investigated. Additionally, new types of claddings having an index of refraction lower than water will be investigated which may enable low cost fine-grained large mass detectors and allow the use of wavelength shifters in the water to increase Cerenkov light output. The core materials are mainly liquid scintillators with high index of refraction, based on a number of relatively radiation hard solvents, together with water. In Phase II, this project may lead to novel scintillating optical fiber detectors and x-ray imagers with enhanced or reduced neutron sensitivity, enhanced gamma sensitivity, flexibility in large diameters, and low cost. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Commercial applications include low cost X-ray imaging fiber plates, novel neutron or neutron intensive detectors, large diameter flexible light guides and radiation resistant optical fibers for medical radiation monitoring.