An empirical approach to the measurement of the cosmic radiation field at jet aircraft altitudes

Researchers at the Royal Military College of Canada have accumulated extensive dose measurements performed at jet altitudes on over 160 flights and with a wide variety of detectors including a tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC), a smart wide energy neutron detection instrument (SWENDI), bubble detectors, thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) and an ion chamber. The summation of the individual low and high LET results from the latter equipment compared successfully to those from the TEPC on each flight. The data from these numerous worldwide flights have been encapsulated into a program that calculates the radiation dose for any flight in the world at any period in the solar cycle. This experimentally based program, Predictive Code for AIRcrew Exposure (PCAIRE) has been designed to be used by the airline industry to meet national dosimetry requirements. In Canada, for example, such a code can be used, supported by periodic measurements. With this latter requirement in mind and a desire to decrease equipment size, the silicon-based LIULIN-4N LET (linear energy transfer) spectrometer has been assessed to determine its suitability as a mixed field instrument and possible code verification tool. Data obtained from the LIULIN and TEPC in ground-based experiments at the CERN-EC Reference-field Facility (CERF) and on 42 jet-altitude flights have been compared. Analysis of these data has resulted in two different mathematical correlations which can be used to determine the ambient dose equivalent, H∗(10), from the LIULIN absorbed dose output. With either calibration factor, the LIULIN instrument could now be used as a simple, compact and portable detector for routine monitoring.