Fibre-optic gamma-flux monitoring in a fission reactor by means of Cerenkov radiation

We demonstrate the possibility of using Cerenkov radiation to monitor the reactor power and the high energy gamma-ray flux in a high neutron flux reactor. The system employs a radiation-resistant pure silica glass fibre to measure the Cerenkov radiation in the infrared region (800–1100 nm). A model is proposed to determine the order of magnitude of the gamma-ray flux from the measurement. The method and concept can be extended to the monitoring of low reactor powers if Cerenkov radiation is measured in the 450–500 nm region by means of hydrogen-treated fibres.