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Abstract We report results of characterizing the response and light transport of wavelength-shifting (WLS) and scintillating-wavelength-shifting (Sci-WLS) fibers under irradiation by radioactive α, β, and γ sources. Light yield and light transmission were measured for the WLS fiber BCF-91A from Saint-Gobain and for a new Sci-WLS fiber EJ-160 from Eljen Technology. The two variants with different fluor mixtures, EJ-160I and EJ-160II, exhibited approximately five and seven times higher light yield than BCF-91A, respectively, while their attenuation lengths were 3.80 m for BCF-91A, 4.00 m for EJ-160I, and 2.50 m for EJ-160II. 

Halogen (F, Cl, Br, and I) concentrations for 129 loess samples from worldwide localities yield geometric means of 517 ± 53 μg/g F, 150 ± 20 μg/g Cl, 1.58 ± 0.16 μg/g Br, 1.16 ± 0.11 μg/g I (2 standard errors). These concentrations, notably for Br and I, are substantially higher than previous estimates for the average upper continental crystalline bedrocks, with enrichment factors of 1.3 +0.7/−0.4 (F), 1.8 +2.4/−0.8 (Cl), 3.8 +1.3/−1.0 (Br), and 39 +71/−16 (I) (95%confidence), documenting enrichment of halogens on the continental surface. These surface halogens are likely sourced from the oceans and may be influenced by climate fluctuations. Halogen ratios (Br/Cl, I/Cl, and Br/I) in loess are similar to those of organic-rich soils/sediments from both terrigenous and marine settings, suggesting that terrigenous and marine organic matter have indistinguishable halogen ratios. The Br/I ratios differ from those in the fine grained matrix of glacial diamictites, indicating that another process (beyond biological influence) is responsible for fractionating halogens in the upper continental crust. Using a mixing model, we calculate that over 80–90 % of loess originates from crystalline bedrocks, while the remainder (<10–20 %) derives from the halogen- and organic-rich sedimentary cover or other sources (e.g., marine aerosols). 

Abstract We report results of optical characterizations of new wavelength-shifting and scintillating-wavelength-shifting fibers EJ-182 and EJ-160 from Eljen Technology and compare them to the wavelength-shifting fiber BCF-91A from Saint-Gobain. The wavelength-dependence of attenuation was derived from spectral measurements confirming that the long attenuation length increases with wavelength, while short attenuation effects become less significant at longer wavelengths. The impact of the environmental refractive index was studied by immersing the EJ-160II fiber in water. Immersing the fiber in water reduced the overall light output and suppressed the short attenuation component, which can be explained by reduced light-collection efficiency due to the smaller refractive-index contrast between the fiber cladding and the surrounding medium.