Radiation-optical characteristics of quartz glass and sapphire

The systems registering plasma radiation comprise optical elements, which may distort a diagnostic signal if they are not radiation resistant. The work was aimed at experimental study of optical absorption and γ-induced luminescence of KU-1 quartz glass and sapphire crystals in the range of 200–900 nm, which were irradiated in the 60Co γ-ray source of 6.7 Gy s−1 up to the dose of 108 Gy and in the water cooled nuclear reactor of WWR-SM type with neutron fluences of 1017–1020 cm−2, in order to imitate plasma effect. The transparency window (minimal optical losses) and the intrinsic luminescence bands were determined in the studied materials. The advantages of KU-1 type glass over sapphire as optical elements at 300–350 K have been demonstrated.