Gamma radiation effects on erbium-doped fiber in superfluorescent fiber source

•Two types of SFSs output spectra were constructed.•The radiation-induced power loss and spectra evolution of the SFSs were revealed.•The stability of single-peaked SFS is higher than that of the twin-peaked one.•The single-peaked spectrum SFS presents good radiation tolerance.

The radiation effects of two erbium-doped superfluorescent fiber sources (SFSs) are studied in gamma ray environment. Two types of output spectrum profile (twin-peaked spectrum and single-peaked spectrum) of SFSs are constructed by different configuration and parameters. The dependence of radiation-induced power loss and spectra evolution on the dosage is revealed. The results show that the amplitudes of radiation-induced power decrease are quite similar in two SFSs. But the mean wavelength variation of the single-peaked spectrum SFS is approximately 25 times smaller than that of the twin-peaked spectrum SFS. Compared to the twin-peaked spectrum SFS, the single-peaked spectrum SFS presents better radiation tolerance, which should have potential advantages in space applications.