Photobleaching effect in image fiber

The photobleaching effect in two types of image fibers is investigated using various light sources, light intensities, radiation dose rates and environmental temperatures. It is shown that the use of a xenon lamp, He-Cd laser or deuterium lamp can cause the photobleaching effect on the induced loss in an image fiber in the ultraviolet region. Of these light sources, a xenon lamp is found to have the greatest effect. This effectiveness appears to arise from the fact that this light source possesses a spectrum over the range from 0.3 to 0.36 μm. It is also revealed that when an image fiber is used for spectroscopic analysis under irradiation of gamma rays at a dose rate of 300 R/h, the available period of the fiber can be increase by 4 - 8 times with the aid of the photobleaching effect caused by a xenon lamp. In addition, the photobleaching effect is found to be dependent on temperature. It is inferred that this temperature dependence occur because electrons first excited to a level by the light energy tend to be further excited more easily at higher temperatures. (Nogami, K.)