Nuclear track detector characterization for alpha-particle spectroscopy

Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs), CR-39™ type, are usually adopted in many applications in which it could be necessary to select tracks according to the incident alpha-particle energy; so several authors have argued that track parameters such as the major/minor axis being the most often reported, can be used to determine the alpha-particle’s energy.However, the use of these parameters only do an univocal result, for example the same axis length can be obtained for different combinations of incident angles and energies.We report on a track analysis performed by a semiautomatic system that classifies tracks according to two parameters, diameter length and mean grey level. This kind of analysis can give information about the track depth, that increases monotonically with the incident energy and angle of the alpha particle. Combining the information on the two parameters it is possible to determine univocally the incident alpha-particle energy values.In order to characterize CR-39 detectors according to the physical track parameters, detectors were irradiated, inside a vacuum chamber, by alpha particles at thirteen energy values, obtained by different mylar layers in front of a 241Am source. After the exposure the detectors were chemically etched to enlarge the tracks and then analyzed by means of a semiautomatic system, consisting on an optical microscope equipped with a CCD camera connected to a personal computer for image storage. A suitable routine analyzed the track parameters: diameter and mean grey level, allowing us to differentiate tracks according to the incident alpha-particle energy and then to individuate the discrimination factors for radon alpha tracks, when nuclear track detectors are applied in radon surveys.

► CR-39.
► Geometric and optical parameter.
► α spectrometry.
► Calibration.