Refractive-index changes caused by proton radiation in silicate optical glasses.
We have studied experimentally, by using a differential interferometric technique, the effect of proton radiation on the refractive index of commercial (Schott) silicate crown glasses, BK7 and LaK9, and their radiation-resistant counterparts. The strongest effect was observed for the radiation-hard lanthanum crown LaK9G15: At a 0.65-Mrad dose the index change was approximately 3 x 10(-5). Radiation-hard glasses are used in optical systems operating in radiation environments because they prevent spectral transmission degradation in the visible. However, such glasses are not protected against radiation-induced refractive-index perturbations, and a diffraction-limited optical system based on such glasses may fail owing to radiation-induced aberrations.
Gusarov
Andrei I
AI
Multitel a.s.b.l., Mons, Belgium. gusarov@telecom.fpms.ac.be
Doyle
Dominic
D
Hermanne
Alex
A
Berghmans
Francis
F
Fruit
Michel
M
Ulbrich
Gerd
G
Blondel
Michel
M