SBIR-STTR Award

Many applications in high energy physics instrumentation include the use of scintillating or wavelength shifting (WLS) plastic optical fiber. In order to extend performance, fiber with greater light trapping (higher numerical aperture) capability would be extremely useful. However, advances in scintillating optical fiber technology are dependent on access to appropriate polymers. Fluoropolymers are currently the most promising products for cladding applications, because of their transparency and extremely low refractive index. This project will design, synthesize, characterize, and manufacture alternative polymer materials and demonstrate their utilization in the production of high numerical aperture scintillating fibers. Phase I includes: (1) synthesis and characterization of polystyrene cores, (2) preparing single and/or multiclad high light trapping scintillating fibers, and (3) determinating the processability of the polymers and the optical properties of the scintillating fibers.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
Fiber with greater light trapping would increase light yield of fiber trackers, thus permitting use of smaller diameter fibers to produce trackers with better momentum resolution. Applications include scintillating fiber trackers, electromagnetic and hadronic calorimetry using WLS fiber readout of scintillator plate, and WLS fiber readout of scintillator extrusions for preshower detectors and muonhodoscopes any application that requires high-speed acquisition of fast low-amplitude pulses, such as high-rate particle detectors for high energy physics and photo-detectors in high-speed fiber optic data communication links. They could also be used as voltage drivers for single flux quantum circuits which are capable of digital operation at 100's of GHz. Low power dissipation and high temperature superconductor implementation should also make them very suitable for commercial and military satellite based sensing and detection applications.

Many applications in high energy physics instrumentation include the use of scintillating or wavelength shifting (WLS) plastic optical fiber. In order to extend performance, fiber with greater light trapping (higher numerical aperture) capability would be extremely useful. However, advances in scintillating optical fiber technology are dependent on access to appropriate polymers. Fluoropolymers are currently the most promising products for cladding applications, because of their transparency and extremely low refractive index. This project will design, synthesize, characterize, and manufacture alternative polymer materials and demonstrate their utilization in the production of high numerical aperture scintillating fibers. Phase I includes: (1) synthesis and characterization of polystyrene cores, (2) preparing single and/or multiclad high light trapping scintillating fibers, and (3) determinating the processability of the polymers and the optical properties of the scintillating fibers. Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: Fiber with greater light trapping would increase light yield of fiber trackers, thus permitting use of smaller diameter fibers to produce trackers with better momentum resolution. Applications include scintillating fiber trackers, electromagnetic and hadronic calorimetry using WLS fiber readout of scintillator plate, and WLS fiber readout of scintillator extrusions for preshower detectors and muon hodoscopes.