Long term bleaching of optical glasses darkened by Co60 ionizing radiation

Typical camera designs include optical glass elements that may be affected by the ionizing radiation present in the natural space environment. Ordinary optical glasses darken at low (10(to the 3rd power) rad) dose levels when exposed to ionizing radiation. This darkening decreases the sensitivity of optical sensors. Optical glass flats of FK 51, LaK 0, PK 51A, and ZK Ny were exposed to a 10.6 krad dose of ionizing radiation. Spectrophotometer traces determined the transmittance of the samples as a function of wavelength in the range 350 to 850 nm before and at various time intervals after the irradiation. These measured values were then use to evaluate the rate of recovery or ''bleaching'' of the exposed samples. To prevent accelerated bleaching, the samples were kept at room temperature and away from light, except during measurement. Tables of the measured data and plots of the transmissivity vs. wavelength at various times after irradiation are presented