Inverted Pockels cell electro-optic response to nuclear reactor pulsing

A new method to detect neutron radiation based on an electro-optic Pockels cell is reported. Collimated laser light passes through a radiation-sensitive electro-optic Pockels cell crystal sandwiched between crossed polarizers and onto a light sensitive photodiode. As radiation interacts in the crystal, free charge carriers are generated and perturb the electric field in the crystal, thereby altering the light polarization and causing a change in light intensity passing through the Pockels cell/polarizer system. The device can detect a neutron flux as low as a few neutrons cm^-2 s^-1 with an upper saturation limit exceeding 1010 neutrons cm^-2 s^-1. The unique electro-optic system separates the processing electronics from the detecting sensor, thereby allowing for operation in high neutron flux environments..