Scintillating and wavelength shifting fibers have increasingly demonstrated advantages over traditional radiation detection and tracking for high energy and nuclear physics research. Unfortunately current scintillating fibers suffer from low light yield, pulse distortion, and environmental dye degradation. To solve these problems, this project will integrate knowledge of microstructure fibers and scintillating/wavelength-shifting dyes with polymer processing and manufacturing expertise to create scintillating and wavelength-shifting fibers that far surpasses current commercial fibers. These fibers will be faster due to the use of new dyes, brighter due to higher light trapping efficiency, and more environmentally robust and radiation resistant due to new dyes, structures, and materials. During Phase I, several varieties of microstructured scintillating fibers will be manufactured using patent pending technology. These fibers will utilize conventional dyes as well as new superior dyes that are faster, brighter, and very stable against degradation. The light yield of the new fibers could be greater than double that of current fibers due to higher trapping efficiency inherent in microstructured fibers.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Applications for these fibers has become pervasive in particle physics and is continually growing, especially for large area tracking detectors and fine-sample calorimeters. Outside the particle physics research community, these fiber should find application in medical imaging, medical and biological dosimetry, bio-sensors using fluorescent markers, electron or ion beam monitoring, activity studies of radioactive waste, nondestructive testing, national nuclear security applications, oil exploration, and X-ray and synchrotron radiation detection
