Radiation-induced effects in polarization-maintaining optical fibers for interferometric gyroscope

Radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) in four types of polarization-maintaining optical fibers for interferometric fiberoptic gyroscope (IFOG) at 1310 nm is measured. The measurements are conducted during and after steady-state γ-ray irradiation using a ⁶⁰Co source in order to observe significantly different RIA behavior and recovery kinetics. Mechanisms involving dopants and manufacturing process are introduced to analyze the RIA discrepancy as well as to guide the choice and hardening of optical fibers during the design of IFOG. Medium-accuracy IFOG using Ge-F-codoped fiber and pure silica core fiber can survive in the space radiation environment.