Light MeV-ions etching studies in a plastic track detector

Following the example of the development of photography, etching not only reveals the track at an observable scale but also memorises information about the latent track formation in the detector material. Searching such information in etched tracks was one of our quests during the 20 past years, using notably poly allyl diglycol carbonates (PADC) from various origins and exposed to MeV ions. After a brief recall of the physical description of primary Matter-Particle interaction and the consecutive radiochemical modifications induced in a polymer, we will discuss the “two etch-rate” etching models pertinence. Surface parameter measurements such as etched track radii restore information about a fraction of the particles range which could consequently lead to rough estimates of the ion response functions. This is particularly the case when the primary energy loss shows important variations. It is one reason why we preferred to emphasise the importance of a track-depth measurement method. The region of the particles stopping point is of a particular interest for checking those aspects as it lies near to the Bragg-peak. Analysis of light ion tracks (1