Theory of radiation-induced absorption in optical fibers.

A new and simple mathematical model for describing radiation-induced absorption in optical fibers is presented. This model treats the radiation-induced defect generation and the decay process as a series of superposable infinitesimal growth and decay events. Unlike the existing power-law growth equation, the new equation is nonempirical, dose-rate dependent, and describes both the growth and the decay of the induced defect. In the case of constant dose rate the general equation reduces to a simple analytical form that agrees reasonably well with the experiment.